Page 36 - EW-June-2025

Cover Story

PRIVATE SCHOOL FEES
BEWARE GOVERNMENT

REGULATION TROJAN HORSE

Collective bargaining by school-specific parents associations
is a better option than inviting government fees regulation.
India’s weak national development experience proves that
inviting government intervention is to invite a sea of troubles

Dilip Thakore

E DUCATION OF INDIA’S 260 MILLION of writing, according to reliable sources, the all-important

school-specific committee will comprise six school repre-
child population simultaneously
represents a national priority and
sentatives (including principal and three teachers), five
parents/guardians (selected by draw, with representation
business opportunity. Yet because of
muddled policy formulation, neither
for women and reserved categories), and a nominee of the
of these socially beneficial impera-
parameters for fees determination, including the school’s
tives are being realised. Learning
location, infrastructure, education standard, operating ex-
outcomes of 150 million children in 1 DoE (Department of Education). The Bill details specific
million government schools are rock bottom, and manage- penses, and surplus revenue. Schools charging more than
ments of 450,000 private schools which host an estimated the fees set by the school-specific committee will be liable
110 million children are harassed by continuous (state) gov- to penalties ranging from Rs.1-10 lakh. The draft Bill also
ernment education ministry bureaucrats, inspectors and prohibits coercive action against students — such as expul-
also middle class parents on the issue of school fees. sion or withholding results — for non-payment of fees.
On April 29, shortly after the BJP/NDA coalition swept However even as the new Bill is pending debate and en-
the Delhi state legislative election ending the two-term in- actment in the Delhi state legislative assembly, on May 9,
cumbency of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the new gov- the Delhi Public School (DPS), Dwarka (Delhi), expelled 32
ernment headed by chief minister Rekha Gupta approved students for non-payment of tuition fees. Last July (2024)
a draft Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation when the school — promoted by the DPS Society (estb.1949)
and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025. The Bill proposes es- which manages a chain of 231 owned and franchised DPS
tablishment of a three-tier structure — school-specific fees schools in India and abroad — increased its fee by a re-
committees, district fee appellate committees and revision ported 36 percent, the National Commission for Protection
committees — to approve and regulate private school fees of Child Rights (NCPCR) filed a criminal case against DPS,
and address parents’ grievances. Dwarka under several provisions of the Juvenile Justice
Although the draft has not been made public at time Act, 2015. Even as investigations were being conducted,

36 EDUCATIONWORLD JUNE 2025