Pvt. schools must form fee regulation panels by July 15: Delhi govt.

The Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025 was passed after a stir against unauthorised fee hikes.

| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

The Delhi government has ordered all private unaided schools to set up school-level fee regulation committees (SLFRCs) for the current academic session by July 15 under the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025.Under the law, which was passed by the Assembly in August last year after citywide protests against unregulated fee hikes, every private school in the city must form an SLFRC comprising representatives of the school management, the principal, three teachers, five parents, and one government nominee.The circular was issued on June 30 and made public on Thursday.‘Against arbitrary hikes’A release from Education Minister Ashish Sood’s office stated: “Education is a noble service to society, not a commercial business. We will not tolerate arbitrary fee hikes or hidden charges that put an unfair financial burden on parents.” It added that the new framework guarantees that every single rupee charged by schools is accounted for and justified.Following orders from the Delhi High Court, the Directorate of Education (DoE) had earlier this year said schools could collect the same fees for the 2026-27 session as in the previous academic year until their new fee structures are approved by the regulatory committees.According to the statement from the Minister’s office, any excess fee collected during this interim period will be strictly subject to final judicial outcomes and will have to be refunded or adjusted.The DoE’s June 30 circular stated that schools must issue a mandatory seven-day public notice before conducting the draw of lots, and that the entire process will be independently monitored by a government-appointed observer. The selection for the panel must be video-recorded, it added.The DoE warned that any school management found trying to bypass the rules will “face severe penalties”. As soon as the committees are constituted, schools must submit their three-year fee proposals to the committee by July 31. These proposals must be backed by three years of fully audited financial statements, said the DoE. Published - July 03, 2026 01:00 am IST