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Indian Express
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Roll back Ordinance on fee hike by private schools in Delhi, hold public consultations, say protesting parents
The Cabinet nod to Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Ordinance, 2025, without public consultation, was one of the key contentions raised as hundreds of parents gathered at Chhatrasal Stadium in North Delhi on Saturday morning to protest arbitrary fee hikes by private schools in the Capital. Alleging harassment of students by such schools, the parents claimed that they have been subjected to years of unapproved fee hikes. The demonstration, led by the group United Parents' Voice (UPV), was initially planned outside Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's Office at the Delhi Secretariat. However, it was relocated after the Delhi Police denied permission, citing security and traffic concerns. The protest follows the Delhi Cabinet's June 10 decision to approve an Ordinance based on the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025. The Bill had earlier received the Cabinet's approval on April 29, soon after parents staged widespread protests against fee hikes. The Bill, however, could not be presented in the Assembly because the Budget session was cut short. While the government officials have stated that the Bill and the Ordinance aim to curb arbitrary fee increases and improve transparency, parents alleged that the legislation was drafted without public consultation and fails to address ongoing issues affecting students and families. After being denied permission on Friday to hold the demonstration at outside the Secretariat by the Delhi Police, which imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023 across the I.P. Estate area, the group moved the protest to Chhatrasal Stadium at 8 am Saturday, where the CM was attending the International Yoga Day celebrations. 'The government is scared of the parents' voice. The system has acknowledged our strength. Now let's show up in even bigger numbers,' said Mahesh Mishra, one of the protesters whose child studies at Delhi Public School, Dwarka. The group's key demands included an immediate pause in the implementation of the Ordinance, a 30-day public consultation period, an end to the alleged harassment of children by private schools, strict action against rule-violating institutions, rollback of unjustified hikes since 2019, and the establishment of a robust, transparent grievance redressal system for parents. 'We urge an immediate halt to the proposed Ordinance and the Bill. These should first be subjected to transparent public consultation as per constitutional and fundamental rights, as parents and citizens are the primary stakeholders in any education-related policy decision,' Mishra added. While carrying placards and raising slogans, the demonstrators demanded action against private schools for alleged coercive practices. UPV claimed that children had been removed from rolls by private schools, denied access to classes, and in some cases, physically blocked at school gates by bouncers over fee-related issues. The group described such incidents as mental harassment and demanded accountability from schools engaging in such practices. Another long-standing concern that echoed at the protest was the issue of unapproved fee hikes going back to 2019. The parents' group said that despite repeated appeals, the government has failed to roll back what they described as arbitrary and unjustified increases. They also highlighted the absence of a functional and time-bound grievance redressal mechanism. DPS Dwarka, Maharaja Agrasen Model School, Pitampura, and Apeejay School, Sheikh Sarai, are some of the schools that have been embroiled in disputes amid the fee hike row.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Expulsions over fee hike: Parents turn down interim relief
New Delhi: Parents of 34 DPS Dwarka students challenging their expulsion from school for non-payment of hiked fees failed to get an immediate relief from Delhi High Court on Thursday. Justice Vikas Mahajan instead proposed an interim arrangement in which the parents deposited 50% of the unpaid fees subject to the outcome of the petition and the school readmitted the students. The parents, however, declined this, stating that they were willing to pay the hiked fees only if a comprehensive forensic audit and a Comptroller and Auditor General of India audit were conducted into the school's finances and the findings were made public. The parents rejected the claimed audit conducted by Delhi govt recently, which they argued had "done little to alleviate the ongoing struggles faced by their children". On May 9, the parents had received emailed notification about their children's names being struck off the rolls due to "non-payment of school fees". Some parents alleged that DPS Dwarka posted bouncers at the gates on Tuesday to prevent listed students from entering classrooms. On Wednesday, the aggrieved parents moved Delhi High Court, seeking the reinstatement of their children. One parent alleged Delhi govt's claimed audits were "mere compilations of previously conducted reports". Mahesh Mishra, another parent, added, "If a private school seeks to increase fees citing financial losses, it must first undergo a comprehensive forensic audit and an independent audit by CAG, covering both the institution and the organisation under which it operates. If the audit reports confirm that the school is genuinely facing financial distress, parents are prepared to support their request for a fee hike ." Stating that the matter was in high court, the school principal refused to comment. The court has posted the matter for hearing on Friday. This dispute unfolds as Delhi govt moves to implement a new law aimed at curbing arbitrary fee hikes in private schools. The draft legislation proposes setting up fee regulation committees at the school, district and state levels, and includes fines of up to 50,000 for coercive actions, such as isolating or denying entry to students. The plea of the parents alleged that in the last few years, the school had pressured and used coercive methods to collect unapproved fees from parents, including hiring bouncers for duty at the gates. The parents' counsel claimed the school had increased the fee earlier to Rs 7,000 a month and now to Rs 9,000. The plea said several representations on the matter had been made to the lieutenant governor, highlighting gross violations of the land allotment conditions by the school and alleged non-compliance with orders passed by the Department of Education. The petition said, "On the one hand, DoE seems vigilant and fully aware of the misconduct of the school… but the larger question is what is stopping DoE from taking over after obtaining the approval of lieutenant governor of Delhi, who is appointed as administrator under Article 239AA of the Constitution of India?" It cited another petition pending before a coordinate bench of the high court. In that case in April, the court examined an inspection report of an eight-member committee led by the district magistrate (southwest) that highlighted discriminatory practices by another school against students. The students were barred from attending regular classes and confined to the library, restricted access to the canteen, not allowed to communicate with friends and were closely monitored by guards during washroom visits.
