Indian States Strike the Right Balance of Regulating School Fees
- May 29, 2025, 5:10 p.m.
Quality and affordable education for all remains a major goal of NEP 2020. Still, many private schools that are driven solely by profit proceed to economically exploit parents, developing a larger roadblock on this challenging path. The Delhi Cabinet has sanctioned a Bill to determine school fees across all schools in the national capital, suggesting penalties of up to 10 L for any unauthorised fee hikes. The government also plans to table the Bill in the Assembly.
The Bill proposes to bring fairness and transparency into the fee structure by launching committees at the district, state, and school levels. These committees will verify fee hike proposals transparently submitted by school management. By this move, the government looks to protect parents from exploitative and arbitrary decisions.
States such as Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Gujarat have already enacted the same laws to shape school fees. Despite these measures, state governments often face legal issues from private institutions. In 2021, the Supreme Court continued the constitutional validity of the Rajasthan Schools Act, 2016, confirming the state's authority to restrict benefits in education.
Public protests of worried parents recently forced the Delhi government, led by the BJP, to draft this regulatory Bill. Private schools justify fee hikes by mentioning the requirement to improve facilities or teacher salaries, mostly avoiding sharing elaborate financial records. This lack of transparency leaves parents unaware of how funds are being utilised, making them even more vulnerable to financial exploitation.
The government expects that by launching strong legal safeguards, it can discourage schools from handling education as a profit-making enterprise and ensure that the focus remains on offering quality education to all.
