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Delhi Tightens Grip on Private School Fees with New Regulatory Framework
New Delhi: In a significant move to bring greater transparency and accountability to private school fee structures, the Delhi government has rolled out a comprehensive order establishing clear timelines for fee regulation and imposing a ban on fresh fee hikes until new structures are officially approved. This initiative aims to address procedural ambiguities and safeguard parents from arbitrary increases.
The “Delhi School Education (Removal of Difficulties) Order, 2026” was presented before the Delhi Legislative Assembly on Friday, marking the commencement of the Monsoon Session. This order directly confronts the implementation challenges that arose after the “Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act” became effective late in the 2025-26 academic year.
Why the Delhi government brought the order
The initial fee regulation law mandated the constitution of School-Level Fee Regulation Committees (SLFRCs) by July 15 of each academic year. However, the law itself was notified and enforced only on December 10, 2025, creating a practical conundrum for the 2025-26 academic session as the deadline for committee formation had already passed.
To overcome this, the government has invoked Section 21 of the Act, which provides for the removal of difficulties. The latest order aims to establish a workable framework for the law’s implementation, specifically targeting three-year fee cycles commencing with the 2026-27 academic year. A crucial objective is to prevent schools from exploiting the period between the end of one approved fee cycle and the fixation of the next, by imposing unregulated increases.
Private schools given 10 days to constitute fee committees
Under the new order, private schools are mandated to constitute their SLFRCs within 10 days from the date of its publication in the Delhi Gazette. These committees will be responsible for overseeing the three-year block starting in 2026-27. Following constitution, school managements will have an additional 14 days to submit their proposed fee structures for the upcoming three academic years.
The SLFRCs will then meticulously examine and fix fees in strict adherence to the provisions of the Act. Importantly, SLFRCs previously constituted under the December 24, 2025 order will remain valid, avoiding redundant processes.
No fresh fee hike during the current academic year
Perhaps the most immediate and impactful measure for parents is the explicit prohibition on fee increases during this transitional period. The order unequivocally states that schools cannot charge more than the fee applicable as of April 1, 2025, until the new three-year fee block is officially fixed under the Act. This means no fresh fee hikes are permitted in the current academic year solely due to the pending finalization of the next fee structure.
Education Minister Ashish Sood emphasized that this provision was invoked to ensure timely committee formation and to prevent schools from imposing exorbitant fees. He also noted that the government had previously agreed to a temporary abeyance on fee increases following court challenges, assuring that schools would not raise fees until committees were established.
What happens when a three-year fee cycle ends
The order also addresses a critical loophole: what happens if a three-year fee cycle expires before the subsequent period’s fees are approved? In such cases, schools are prohibited from using this interim period to increase fees. Instead, they must continue to charge the fee fixed for the final year of the previous block until the new fee structure is formally determined. This provision offers a crucial financial safeguard for parents against regulatory delays.
District-level appellate committees to be set up
Beyond school-level regulation, the Directorate of Education (DoE) is now directed to establish District Fee Appellate Committees (DFACs) for every education district within 30 days. This appellate mechanism will provide a formal channel for resolving disputes related to fee fixation and other associated decisions, creating a more structured and accountable regulatory chain.
2025-26 fee collections remain under scrutiny
The government has not dismissed concerns regarding fees charged during the 2025-26 academic year. The order specifies that any “exorbitant fee” collected during this period will be subject to regulation and examination, contingent on the final outcome of ongoing court proceedings challenging the fee regulation law. These legal challenges are currently before the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India.
Schools face regulatory action for missing deadlines
The prescribed timelines in the order are not merely advisory. The government has made it clear that non-compliance by schools or relevant authorities will result in administrative and regulatory action under the Act and its applicable Rules. This places significant obligations on both private schools, to meet committee formation and submission deadlines, and on the Directorate of Education, to establish the district-level appellate mechanism promptly.
What the order means for parents
For parents, the immediate reassurance is that schools cannot impose fresh fee increases while the new three-year fee structure is pending approval. The order also aims to instill greater predictability in the fee-setting process through defined three-year cycles, fixed timelines, and a robust dispute resolution mechanism.
Ultimately, this latest measure by the Delhi government represents a concerted effort to close the procedural gaps that surfaced with the initial implementation of the fee regulation law. The long-term success of this framework will depend on its diligent implementation by all stakeholders and the resolution of the pending legal challenges.
