Bill to regulate private school fees next month

Arvind Kejriwal had said that to end “unfair” fee hikes by the capital’s private schools, the government would soon be coming out with a Bill to regulate fees and make the system more transparent.

The long-standing tussle between parents and private school managements over “exorbitant” fees may soon come to an end with the Delhi government drafting a legislation to monitor and control fees. The Bill, currently being worked on by the Department of Education, is going to be on the lines of the Fee Regulation Act in Tamil Nadu, passed in 2009, a top official at the directorate of education said.

In a Google hangout last week, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said that to end “unfair” fee hikes by the capital’s private schools, the government would soon be coming out with a Bill to regulate fees and make the system more transparent.

The proposed “Regulation of Collection of Fees Bill” may be introduced in the Assembly session next month. It proposes to constitute a high-powered committee headed by a retired judge to decide on the tuition charges levied by private schools.

In an affidavit filed before the Delhi High Court last year, the Directorate of Education had said the government was working out the legislation modalities. The government had sought directions to constitute a fee regulatory committee for private schools in Delhi. Earlier, a petition was filed against the tuition fee hike by private schools, following which the Delhi High Court had formed a committee under Justice Anil Dev Singh to examine it and also directed the Delhi government to frame a law in this regard. “The Bill will be on the lines of the Fee Regulation Act in Tamil Nadu, passed in 2009. We are currently working on the modalities of the Bill,” Padmini Singla, director of the Directorate of Education, said.

Source: IndianExpress