Private schools in Delhi that increase fees will be reined in, Education Minister promises.

These days some private schools in Delhi are increasing the fees of children, many complaints of which surfaced on social media. Now regarding this, Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood promised that he will soon take action against private schools that increase fees arbitrarily. The minister said that a list of such schools has been prepared and each one will be inspected, then necessary action will be taken based on the findings.

335 schools built on government land

Sood further said, "Out of 1,677 private schools in the state, 335 are running on government land and they come under the Delhi School Education Act 1973, so government approval is required to increase fees, only 114 schools are free from this condition." Citing a 2004 Delhi High Court judgment in the 'Modern School' case, the minister reiterated that private schools cannot increase fees without the approval of the Directorate of Education (DoE).

Sood cited data from a private school in Dwarka, which has continuously increased its fees by 7 to 20 per cent from 2020 to 2025. He also named some private schools that have increased fees by 30 to 38 per cent without the approval of the Directorate of Education.

Data will be released within 10 days

Sood has said that an inquiry has been initiated against a private school in Dwarka under the leadership of Kapashera DM on the instructions of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. He said, "The school's year-on-year fee hike is being investigated. To maintain transparency, the data of fee hike in all private schools will be released on the Directorate of Education website within the next 10 days." Sood said that other schools have also allegedly increased their fees. He said that the government is 'auditing' all such cases and strict action will be taken on the basis of the report of a committee including the concerned SDM.

Appeal to the court to hear the cases soon

The minister said that a committee has been formed to collect 'audit' reports from all 1,677 private schools. He said that the committee includes Tehsildar and Accounts Officer to conduct a fair investigation. Also, on the instructions of the Chief Minister, the Delhi government has appealed to the court to expedite the hearing in fee hike cases.

Apart from this, the Education Department has started an email service under the supervision of the Deputy Director of Education, where parents or guardians can register complaints related to unfair fee hikes. He said that parents or guardians can also lodge complaints personally in the office of the Directorate of Education. Sood said that after the investigation, strict action will be taken against the schools found guilty.