The Delhi Legislative Assembly's monsoon session begins today, Monday, during which the government is set to table several important bills and reports. The main highlight of this session will be the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fee Determination and Regulation) Bill, 2025, which aims to curb the arbitrary fee hikes by private schools. Additionally, the government will table two CAG reports concerning the previous financial year's performance.
Crackdown on Private Schools
The School Fee Regulation Bill, to be introduced by Education Minister Ashish Sood during this monsoon session, aims to ensure transparency and accountability in private schools in the capital. Under this law, if a school fails to refund fees within the stipulated timeframe, the penalty will increase with every 20-day delay—doubling after 20 days, tripling after 40 days, and escalating further every 20 days thereafter.
The draft of the bill clarifies that school managements repeatedly violating the rules will be barred from holding any official position in the future. Furthermore, their right to propose fee revisions may also be revoked.
Strict Penalty Provisions
This bill is based on the ordinance passed by the Delhi government on April 29, following cabinet approval. According to the proposed rules, a school will be fined between ₹1 lakh and ₹5 lakh for the first violation, while repeated violations could attract a penalty ranging from ₹2 lakh to ₹10 lakh.
The government states that this bill will bring discipline to the education sector and provide relief to parents from arbitrary fees. The bill also proposes to institutionalize a grievance redressal process so that aggrieved parents can receive timely justice.
Two CAG Reports to be Presented
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta will also present two significant reports from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in the House during this session. The first report pertains to the state's finances during the year 2023-24, while the second report focuses on the welfare of building and other construction workers for the financial year ending March 31, 2023.
The BJP government has previously presented several CAG reports alleging administrative mismanagement during the Aam Aadmi Party's tenure. Through these reports, the government has been questioning the working style of the Aam Aadmi Party.
Step Towards Digital Legislature
In this session, the government has also taken a new step towards a digital legislature. All members of the Legislative Assembly will now be able to access documents electronically. This session will be the third session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly under the leadership of Rekha Gupta's government.
While the government is attempting to bring strictness and transparency to the education sector through this session, the opposition may adopt a strategy to corner the government based on the CAG reports.
