Delhi govt cracks down on Private Schools over arbitrary fee hikes
The Delhi government has ordered an audit of all 1,677 private schools in the capital to address arbitrary fee hikes. Inquiry committees led by SDMs, including Tehsildars and Accounts Department officials, will oversee the process. Education Minister Ashish Sood emphasized adherence to the 1973 Act, and audit reports from the last decade will be made public.
The Delhi government has implemented stringent measures against the unjustified fee increase by private schools. An audit has been mandated for all 1677 private schools in the capital. To facilitate this, inquiry committees have been formed under the leadership of SDM, including Tehsildar and Accounts Department officials.
Based on this report, the Government will initiate further measures. Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood stated in a Monday conference that all private schools must comply with the 1973 Act's rules and regulations.
Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood stated that out of 1677 private schools in Delhi, 335 are situated on government land. For these schools, state government approval is required before any fee hike. There are 114 schools that are exempt from this requirement.
He mentioned that an audit report for the past 10 years is now being requested from all schools and will be published on the Delhi Education Department's website.
The investigation into DPS Dwarka School is being overseen by DB Kapashera. The school fees at DPS Dwarka have been increasing every year. For five consecutive years, the fees at DPS Dwarka have been raised. In the next 10 days, the residents of Delhi will be informed about the schools that have increased their fees in recent years. Moreover, this information will be made available on the Education Department's website to demonstrate that the assertions about our government preventing fee increases are incorrect, as the fees have actually gone up.
According to Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood, only 75 out of 1677 private schools in Delhi were audited annually during the 10-year tenure of the previous government. According to the Delhi Education Act, annual audits are mandatory for all schools. The minister said 'We will not allow the education sector in Delhi to be commercialized. We are also inspecting all private schools and will take stringent measures once the SDM's inquiry report is received.'