Schools to form fee fixation committees by Jan. 10: Sood

The Delhi government on Wednesday mandated all schools in the national capital to constitute school-level fee regulation committees (SLFRCs) by January 10 under provisions of the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025.

This comes days after the government notified the rules for the Act, which aims to regulate fee hikes in private schools, following widespread protests by parents against “arbitrary fee hikes” earlier this year.

Transparency a priority

Addressing a press conference, Education Minister Ashish Sood said that after the committees are formed by January 10, schools will submit their fee proposals to these committees by January 25, and thereafter, a decision on school fees will be made within 30 days.

“Delhi’s school fee regulation system is entering a new era where transparency, participation, and time-bound decision-making are given the highest priority,” the Minister added.

The Directorate of Education (DoE), in an order, stated, “Upon receipt of a complete proposal, the SLFRCs shall examine the proposal with supporting records and pass a reasoned and speaking decision within thirty days of receipt, communicate the decision to school managements, and display and upload the same forthwith on the notice boards and website of the schools.”

At the school level, five of the 11 committee members are likely to be Parent-Teacher Association representatives, selected by lottery. The committees will comprise three teacher representatives, the school principal, a representative of the school management, and a nominee of the DoE.

If the committee rejects the proposal or fails to decide within the stipulated time, the matter will be referred to the district level fee appellate committee (DLFRC).

An aggrieved parents’ group can, within 30 days, also appeal the school-level committee’s decision to the district-level committee.

As per the order, a “one-time operational timeline” has been created for the 2025-2026 academic session to ensure consistency. The act stipulates a separate timeline under which the committee decides on fees in September.

‘Selection to be nullified’

The order also states: “Parents or guardians of students who are ‘exempt from payment of fees’, i.e., students admitted under categories such as economically weaker sections, disadvantaged groups, or children with special needs, shall not be included as parent representatives on the committee.”

“If any such parent/guardian is inadvertently selected, the selection shall be treated as invalid, and the resultant vacancy shall be filled by selecting the next eligible parent/guardian from the reserve/waiting list prepared through the draw of lots,” the order stated.the order stated.