Delhi govt under fire for not making draft of fee regulation ordinance public

The ruling BJP government in Delhi has come under criticism from parent bodies, schools and even the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for not making public the draft of the ordinance which seeks to regulate fee hikes in private schools in the capital.

The move has also not gone down well with the private schools who felt that it could lead to an issue with attracting good teachers and paying their salaries.

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Education Minister Ashish Sood on Wednesday (June 4) said the government would pass an ordinance against fee hikes. It was earlier supposed to be a bill to be tabled during the special session of the Assembly on May 13-14.

‘Back-door’ ordinance: AAP

In a press conference on Thursday (June 5), AAP leader and Delhi Assembly Leader of Opposition (LoP) Atishi criticised the “back-door” ordinance. “Why is it being brought through an ordinance? There is only one reason—because this bill (ordinance) is not aimed at protecting parents from rising fees,” she said.

Atishi slammed the BJP government for “concealing” the ordinance. “If this bill (ordinance) is in the interest of parents, then why hasn’t it been shown to them? Why hasn't it been uploaded on the website? Why hasn't public feedback been invited?” she said.

“This may be the first time in Delhi’s history that such a significant law or policy is being brought without any public feedback. Hiding the draft of a law like this only shows one thing—something is seriously sketchy with it. This bill (ordinance) isn’t meant to reduce school fees or to regulate private schools. It’s being brought in to protect private schools,” she added.

Parents voice concerns

Aparajita Gautam, president of the Delhi Parents’ Association (DPA), also raised similar apprehensions.

“If you’re bringing an ordinance, you should make it public. Parents of the children studying in Delhi’s private schools deserve to know what is in the draft. As of now, there has been no consultation. We don’t want it to become a mess like the farm laws and the Waqf Bill. Their suggestions should be taken so that the ordinance is truly helpful to them,” she told The Federal.

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Some stakeholders also pointed out that there was a difference between the elite private schools built on DDA (Delhi Development Authority) land and the budget schools in the capital. They pointed out that there was no clarity yet on whether the government would take these differences into account.

“We welcome the ordinance, but there should be clarity about which schools are exploiting students and parents, and which are not. There are around 2,000 budget schools in Delhi that run in unauthorised areas and give education to poor children. They charge around Rs 500-2,000 per month and don’t take donations or charge capitation fees, and there are barely any complaints against these schools,” said Chandrakant Singh, National General Secretary of the Private Land Public Schools Trust.

He said there cannot be a comparison between a school which charges Rs 1,000 per month as fees, and another which charges Rs 5,000 per month. “If there is a 10% fee hike, in one case it will increase to Rs 1,100, and in another, it will increase to Rs 5,500. This basic difference is something that the education minister and the CM are pretending not to understand, and are misleading the public,” he added.

Singh also said the draft of the ordinance should have been shared on a public platform, to avoid confusion and take suggestions.

Schools equally worried

Meanwhile, schools are worried about what it could mean for them. “I’m completely confused about this ordinance. There should be consultation with all stakeholders. They’re only looking at parents; they should also talk to schools. Whatever they’re thinking of doing, it should be very balanced as far as schools and parents are concerned,” said Jyoti Arora, Principal of Mount Abu Public School.

“But quality comes with certain expenses. Every year in every organisation there is a hike in salaries, how can expenditure not rise? Why are only private schools being asked to compromise with quality? The School Education Act says under 10% is a reasonable hike. The Department of Education can check whether the 8-9% fee hike is justified or not. That is all we are asking for. Schools should restrict it to that and parents should also be mentally prepared for it,” she said.

Sudha Acharya, Principal of ITL Public School said if such an ordinance is brought in, it will be very difficult for private schools.

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“As of now, we have not received any orders. My maximum fee is Rs 7,000 per month, which comes with all kinds of conveniences. The management is not doing charity. You have to allow at least a 7-8% hike otherwise this will affect teachers’ salaries,” she told The Federal.

“If the fee is not increased at all, I cannot attract the best minds to school education. How will we give them increments and DA (Dearness allowance)? There should be career progression. An ambience has been created that private education is free of cost, it is not the case anywhere in the civilised world,” she added.

Recently, parents of 32 students of DPS (Delhi Public School) Dwarka approached the Delhi High Court after they were debarred over fee disputes. Subsequently, the Directorate of Education (DoE) instructed DPS to reinstate the children. Before the HC order on Thursday, the school informed the court that the DoE orders had been followed and the children reinstated.