Atishi targets BJP on fee regulation bill; Sood hits back

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Atishi on Wednesday wrote a letter to chief minister Rekha Gupta, claiming that opaque processes were adopted by Delhi govt in introducing the ‘Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025'. She said that the BJP govt did not follow any transparent or consultative process in drafting it.
In the letter, Atishi stated, "It is ironic that while the bill seeks to establish a ‘transparent procedure', the whole process till now has been completely non-transparent." She added, "Delhi govt has neither shared any details of any consultative process through which the aforesaid bill was drafted, nor has the draft bill been shared with the public so far. Till now, we only know what is being reported; we have no authentic document to refer to and comment upon."

Delhi govt passed a draft bill to set guidelines for all private and govt schools in the city to regulate school fees. The bill, approved by the cabinet on Tuesday, seeks to establish a clear and transparent procedure for school fee structures, preventing arbitrary hikes and ensuring fairness for parents.
Once the bill becomes an act, schools raising fees without permission will face fines up to Rs 10 lakh, and their recognition may also be revoked, as per the draft. A fee regulation committee will be formed in every school, giving parents direct decision-making power, said Gupta. A three-tier committee system will be implemented for appeals regarding fee disputes, with committees formed at school, district, and state levels.
Atishi stated, "The draft bill was necessitated due to a sudden spurt in the unregulated and arbitrary fee hike by many private schools immediately after the formation of BJP govt in Delhi."
"In the beginning of April 2025, large numbers of private schools increased fees between 30 and 80% for the academic year 2025-26. Also, schools introduced arbitrary and high charges for facilities such as air-conditioning, swimming classes, and activity classes. Parents are being made to buy highly overpriced books and uniforms from specific shops," she claimed in the letter.
"What will happen to all the parents who are facing these problems in the current academic year, 2025-26? Will they be forced to pay the arbitrary fees and charges introduced by schools in April 2025?" Atishi questioned.
Education minister Ashish Sood earlier said the move was aimed at creating transparency. "Through this bill, we have empowered all stakeholders — management, teachers, students, and their parents. They will now take the decisions. In the decision-making meeting, whoever is part of the revision committee formed in the school will be involved. These things will happen democratically. The schools will now have to follow the norms."
Coercive action will be taken, ranging from fines to more serious legal action, if the violations are more severe, he added.
Criticising the previous govt, Sood said, "They made a law to give a bottle free with another bottle. We made a law to give justice to the parents and students. It has been going on for decades, and we brought a law within 60 days."