Delhi Education Minister: No Private School Can Hike Fees Arbitrarily as Delhi Education Bill 2025 Comes Into Effect

Delhi Education Bill 2025 comes into effect; Education Minister says all private schools must follow new fee law. Parents to play key role in fee regulation.

The Delhi Education Bill, 2025, aimed at curbing arbitrary fee hikes and ensuring transparency in private schools, has officially come into force in Delhi, after its passage by the state assembly. Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood has announced that all 1,700 private schools in the capital will now be governed by the new fee regulation law, replacing the outdated 1973 framework that earlier covered only 300 schools.

The new law mandates that any proposed fee hike by schools must be approved by a School-Level Committee, which will include parents, teachers, administrators, and a Delhi government observer. If disputes arise, they can be escalated to District Appellate Committees and finally to a State-Level Revision Committee, ensuring checks at every stage.

Sood stressed that the bill empowers parents by giving them a decisive role in fee regulation. “Parents will no longer be at the mercy of schools when it comes to arbitrary hikes. Transparency and accountability are now built into the system,” he said.

The legislation prescribes stringent penalties for violations. Schools found guilty of increasing fees without approval can face fines ranging from ₹1 lakh to ₹10 lakh, with penalties doubling if excess collections are not refunded. The Director of Education has been granted powers equivalent to a Sub-Divisional Magistrate to enforce compliance, including freezing assets or revoking school recognition in extreme cases.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta described the law as a “revolution in Delhi’s education system,” asserting that it would balance the interests of parents and schools while ensuring quality education remains accessible.

The urgency to reform fee structures was reinforced by a recent Supreme Court rebuke to private schools for imposing hikes without approval despite land concessions from the government. This judicial pressure, combined with growing parent protests, set the stage for the Delhi Assembly to pass the law earlier this month.

At a Parents’ Town Hall held in Janakpuri, the government explained the new law to over 200 parents. While many welcomed the move, some expressed concerns about how swiftly committees will resolve disputes and whether schools would attempt to find loopholes.