Delhi Passes Bill to Regulate Private School Fee Hikes, Government Nod Now Mandatory

Parents in Delhi may soon get relief from unregulated fee hikes in private schools. On Friday, the Delhi Assembly passed the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025, making it mandatory for all private unaided schools to seek government permission before raising tuition fees.

“This bill is a promise to the parents of Delhi that their concerns about arbitrary fee hikes will be addressed. No school will be able to increase fees without the government’s permission,” Education Minister Ashish Sood stated while introducing the bill.

Earlier, only about 350 schools on government-allotted land were required to get approval for any fee changes. Now, this regulation will cover all 1,443 private unaided schools in the city, regardless of land ownership. This replaces the limited provisions under the Delhi School Education Act and Rules, 1973, which were shaped by court orders and applied to only a small segment of schools.

The move comes after reports that several schools increased fees during the COVID-19 pandemic despite government orders to freeze them. Officials say the lack of a comprehensive legal framework made enforcement challenging.

The bill’s discussion in the Assembly lasted nearly four hours and sparked intense political debate. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta hailed it as “a 52-year wait finally ending for the parents of Delhi.” However, the Aam Aadmi Party accused the BJP-led government of favouring certain private institutions and “weakening earlier court-mandated regulations.”

AAP proposed eight amendments to the bill during the debate, but all were rejected by the BJP majority. The bill passed with 41 BJP and 17 AAP MLAs present in the House.

Ashish Sood emphasised that this is not a symbolic move but a concrete step towards greater accountability in the education sector. The bill now heads to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena for approval. Once cleared, it will take effect city-wide, ensuring that no private school can hike fees without prior government clearance.

Education experts say the law could bring more transparency and help regulate one of the most contentious issues faced by parents, but some stakeholders worry about possible bureaucratic delays in legitimate fee revisions.

If implemented smoothly, the new regulation could set a precedent for other states looking to address similar concerns in their education systems.