The Delhi government has implemented new regulations for private unaided schools. The Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025, introduces strict rules for fee hikes and charges. These include requiring 15% parental approval for fee increases and capping various charges. The official notification follows the Delhi Assembly’s passage of the bill four months ago, responding to ongoing parental protests over arbitrary fee hikes.
New Fee Caps and Approved Expenses
The new legislation sets specific limits on several school fees. Registration fees are capped at Rs 25 . Admission charges cannot exceed Rs 200 , and caution money is restricted to Rs 500 . Tuition fees are defined to cover only operational and academic expenses. Capital expenditure is explicitly excluded from tuition fee components. The regulations define any amount demanded or collected by a school not approved under this Act or its rules as an “Unjustified Fee Demand.” This includes charges not listed under officially sanctioned Obligatory or Earmarked heads.
Parents Gain Appeal Rights
Parents now have a clear mechanism to challenge proposed fee increases. A group representing a minimum of 15% of enrolled students from a school can appeal against a proposed fee structure. This appeal must be filed with the District Fee Appellate Committee within 30 days from the date the complaint is issued. Furthermore, schools are mandated to share all financial documents with parents within seven days of a request. These documents can be provided as hard copies at a cost of Rs 1 per page , or as free soft copies.
Mandatory Audits and Submission Deadlines
Schools seeking to increase fees must meet stringent audit requirements. They are permitted to raise fees only after submitting three years of audited financial statements. A Chartered Accountant registered with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) must certify these statements. Any fee revision proposal submitted with unaudited documents will be automatically rejected. The annual deadline for schools to submit their fee hike proposals is July 31 . Schools that miss this submission deadline will be required to continue with the previous year’s fee structure. The rules also require schools to maintain a complete set of financial and administrative records. This includes cash books, fee and salary records, asset registers, and vouchers. A detailed, head-wise fee breakup must also be publicly accessible.
School-Level Fee Regulation Committees (SLFRC)
The new rules mandate the formation of a School-Level Fee Regulation Committee (SLFRC) in every school. Each SLFRC will include five parents, selected through a draw of lots, three teachers, and one government observer. Crucially, the committee cannot function or make decisions unless all its members and the government observer are present. This ensures broad representation and oversight in fee-related matters.
Parental Concerns and Objections
Despite the government’s aim for transparency, the Forum for Indian Parents (FIP) has expressed strong objections to the Act. The FIP argues that the new rules promote the commercialization of education. They also contend that the Act places unreasonable responsibilities on parents, such as the verification of audits and the filing of complaints. FIP believes these duties should instead be handled by the department of education. Furthermore, the parent forum highlighted confusion regarding the fee structure for the 2026-27 academic session. They stated a lack of clarity on whether fees for a three-year block would remain consistent or vary, noting concerns that fees otherwise due after three years might be demanded upfront for the entire period.