NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced on Tuesday that her government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards arbitrary fee hikes in schools and the harassment of parents and students.
This statement came after a group of parents raised concerns about their children being expelled from Queen Mary School in Model Town for protesting illegal fee hikes.
In a video shared on X (formerly Twitter), CM Gupta can be seen instructing an official to inform the school authorities that their registration would be cancelled if such practices continued.
“There are rules and regulations governing fee hikes that must be followed. Any school found violating these will face consequences,” Gupta said. “We will issue notices to all schools against which we have received complaints,” she added. In her post, the chief minister emphasised the Delhi government’s commitment to transparency, equal opportunity, and the protection of children’s rights in the education sector. “Any form of injustice, exploitation, or irregularity will be dealt with firmly. Our pledge is clear — every child deserves justice, respect, and quality education,” she said.
CM Gupta’s statement comes amid ongoing allegations from the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) about the BJP’s connections with the Action Committee of Unaided Private Schools, which had previously opposed the AAP government’s stance on fee hikes.
AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj had recently claimed that Bharat Arora, the president of the association, is a BJP office-bearer and actively campaigned for the Chief Minister ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections. Bhardwaj further alleged that the wave of fee hikes began after the BJP formed government. However, the BJP has dismissed these accusations as baseless.
Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva countered, saying, “While there are over 1,650 private schools in Delhi, the AAP government managed to audit the accounts of only 75 schools in a year. Most private schools have substantially increased their fees, exploiting the situation.” According to the education department, several private schools have raised fees by 25% to 30% annually in recent years, placing a significant financial burden on middle- and low-income families.
The ongoing feud between the BJP and AAP continues to fuel the debate over the regulation of school fees in the capital.