NEW DELHI: The Delhi government will introduce a bill to regulate fee hikes by private schools in the upcoming Monsoon Session of the Assembly, scheduled to begin on August 4, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced on Saturday.
The proposed legislation, based on an ordinance approved by the Cabinet on April 29, aims to curb arbitrary fee increases by private educational institutions. The bill outlines stringent penalties for non-compliance. For the first offence, schools may face fines ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. Repeat violations will attract penalties between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 10 lakh.
Additionally, if a school fails to refund overcharged fees within the stipulated time, the fine will double after 20 days, triple after 40 days, and continue escalating for every 20-day delay. Persistent violations could also lead to disqualification from holding positions in the school’s management and revocation of the right to propose future fee revisions.
“The Delhi government will present the education bill in the Monsoon Session of the Assembly to ensure that private schools do not exploit parents with unjustified fee hikes,” Gupta stated while addressing the media.
In addition to the education reforms, Chief Minister Gupta highlighted two major governance initiatives. The Delhi Legislative Assembly will now function as a paperless e-Vidhan Sabha, and the Assembly building has been transformed into a solar-powered model legislature. She further announced that steps are underway to make the Delhi Secretariat paperless as well, as part of the government’s broader digital and sustainability drive.
“We are committed to taking strong policy decisions to develop Delhi into a model state,” said Gupta. The upcoming Monsoon Session marks the third session of the Delhi Assembly under the leadership of Rekha Gupta.