The Delhi government is set to introduce a bill in the upcoming Monsoon Session of the Assembly, starting August 4, to regulate arbitrary fee hikes by private schools, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced on Saturday, as reported by news agency PTI.
Strict Penalties for Unauthorised Fee Hikes
The bill, as proposed on the basis of a Cabinet-approved ordinance on April 29, prescribes stringent punishment for schools that raise fees arbitrarily. As a first-time offender, schools can be fined between ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh. Offences of repetition will incur fines from ₹2 lakh to ₹10 lakh.
The bill also proposes an escalating system of punishment:
-If a school defaults on refunding excess fees, the fine would be doubled after 20 days
-Triple after 40 days,
-And keep on escalating every 20 days thereafter.
In repeated cases of violations, schools can be disqualified from serving as officiating members in the management and lose the right to suggest future fee revisions.
DPS Dwarka Incident Triggers Government Action
The move follows public outrage over the recent furore at Delhi Public School (DPS) Dwarka, where some students were allegedly expelled for failure to pay increased fees. The matter resulted in large-scale protests, with the Delhi High Court stepping in and terming the school's actions "inhuman." The court directed the school to reinstate the expelled students after partial payment of fees.
This high-profile case highlighted the unregulated fee structure of private schools in the limelight and challenged the government to take decisive action.
Chief Minister’s Assurances to Parents and Students
Earlier, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had reiterated the government's commitment to safeguard the rights of parents and students. She stated that harassment and unauthorised fee increases will not be acceptable and assured to enforce the strict implementation.
