Delhi govt tables ‘order’ to implement law on school fees

Invoking the removal of difficulties provision under Section 21 of the Act, the government said the order was intended “to give effect to the Act as well as the legislative intent” for blocks of three academic years beginning 2026-27, and to “fix appropriate timelines” for the constitution of the committees.

Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood explained that the provision was invoked to ensure timely constitution of fee regulation committees, as the school admission process for the next academic year would have been completed by April, while the committees would otherwise have been formed only around June-July. He said the move was challenged in court, following which the government agreed to keep the matter in abeyance and assured that schools would not increase fees until the committees were constituted. “The order was placed before the Assembly to formally to fix timelines and ensure schools do not impose exorbitant fee on parents and students,” the minister said.

“…Removal of the Difficulties Order, it is intended to give effect to the Act as well as the legislative intent for the block of three academic years commencing from 2026-27 and fix appropriate timelines for constitution of the State Level Fee Regulation Committee and the consequential obligations under the Act on the respective stakeholders; and whereas, it appears that some difficulties would also arise with respect to collection of fee for the intervening period between the expiry of one block of three academic years and the fixation of fee for the succeeding block of three academic years…,” the order read.

Under the order, private schools will have 10 days from its publication in the Delhi Gazette to constitute SLFRCs for blocks of three academic years beginning 2026-27. School managements must then submit details of the proposed fee structure for the next three academic years within 14 days, after which the SLFRCs will fix the fee as per the provisions of the Act.

SLFRCs already constituted under the December 24, 2025 order will continue to be treated as valid under the new order.

The order also directs the Directorate of Education (DoE) to constitute District Fee Appellate Committees (DFACs) for each education district within 30 days.

On the transition between fee cycles, the order states that no school may charge fees beyond the last approved amount until the next fee structure is fixed.

“…Till the fee is fixed for the next block of three years in terms of the Act as well as the aforesaid provisions, the schools shall not charge any fees over and above the fee already being charged w.e.f. 01.04.2025 by the respective school,” the order read. This means that no fresh fee hike is permitted during the current academic year.

The notification adds that any “exorbitant fee” charged by schools for the 2025-26 academic year will be regulated and examined, subject to the final outcome of the court proceedings challenging the Act that are pending before the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India.

Further, the order states that if the three-year fee period ends before the fee for the next block is approved, schools cannot charge more than the fee fixed for the last year of the previous block.
“On expiry of a block of three years for which fee has been fixed in accordance with the provisions of the Act, no school shall charge any fee exceeding that which was fixed for the last of the preceding block of three years, until the fee for the next block of three years has been fixed in accordance with the provisions of the Act,” it states.

The government has warned that any failure by schools or authorities to adhere to these timelines will invite “appropriate administrative and regulatory action as provided under the Act and the Rules.”