A New Era in School Fee Governance: Delhi’s Private School Fee Regulation Act Deferred for Orderly Implementation

In a development that has reverberated across households, classrooms, and boardrooms in India’s capital, the Delhi government has announced that it will defer the implementation of the private school fee regulation law until the commencement of the 2026–27 academic year. This clarification, given before the Supreme Court of India, has brought both reassurance and fresh debate to a policy that touches the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of families and which promises to redefine how private education finances are administered in the city.

At its heart lies the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025, a statute conceived to curb arbitrary fee hikes by private schools and to foster a transparent, accountable framework for fee determination. For parents long concerned about escalating costs of schooling, the legislation was welcomed as a structural solution. But its rushed notification in late 2025, combined with procedural challenges and legal challenges from school bodies, led to a reassessment of how and when the law should be enforced.

Why the Law Was Deferred

The government’s announcement, made on 3 February 2026, came amid a Supreme Court hearing in which the state clarified that the Act would not take effect in the 2025–26 academic year. With fees already fixed by schools before the law was notified in December 2025, authorities conceded that mid-session implementation was impractical. In effect, private schools will continue charging fees at the same level as on 1 April 2025 for the duration of the current academic session, ensuring continuity while preventing retrospective enforcement that might disrupt ongoing financial planning.

This approach addressed the Court’s concern about a “rushed implementation”. The Supreme Court had earlier suggested deferring the law’s rollout to make it effective from the next academic session, a stance the Delhi government subsequently formalised in its submission.

What the Regulation Seeks to Achieve

At its core, the legislation aims to address long-standing concerns over opaque fee structures and arbitrary increases in private school fees, issues that have affected many middle- and lower-income families in the capital. Under the Act, private unaided schools cannot increase fees without prior scrutiny and approval under a structured system of committees.

The law envisages a three-tier committee framework to oversee fee fixation:

1. School Level Fee Regulation Committee (SLFRC) – Responsible for reviewing fee proposals submitted by the school management.
2. District Fee Appellate Committee (DFAC) – A body to hear appeals from parents or schools dissatisfied with the decisions of the SLFRC.
3. Revision Committee – Empowered to oversee broader policy and procedural questions, ensuring consistency across the system.

The intent behind this multi-layered architecture is to balance institutional autonomy with parental rights, creating avenues for appeal and accountability where fee adjustments are contested.

Fee Freezing and Parent Safeguards

Crucially, the decree accompanying the law’s postponement, known as the Delhi School Education (Removal of Difficulties) Order, 2026, effectively freezes fees for the ongoing session. Schools can only charge what was established as of 1 April 2025, and any attempts to levy additional amounts beyond this ceiling are subject to later regulatory review, irrespective of interim fee notices issued by schools.

This freeze has been widely welcomed by parent groups, who have expressed concern over mid-year fee hikes and last-minute notices that can disrupt family budgets, particularly in a city where education is a significant household expenditure.

For example, the order stipulates that fees levied in excess of those pre-existing levels must be regulated and reconciled in accordance with law, pending the final outcome of litigation before the High Court and the Supreme Court. This creates a legal basis for retrospective examination, even while the current year’s fee structure remains untouched.

The Committee Mechanism and Timelines

Even though the law will not govern the existing session’s fees, the government’s order sets out a clear timetable for transitioning to the new regime in 2026–27:

• Within 10 days of the notification, every private school must establish a School Level Fee Regulation Committee (SLFRC).
• Once formed, schools have 14 days to submit their proposed fee structure, not for the truncated current year, but for the next three academic years.
• In parallel, the Directorate of Education will establish District Fee Appellate Committees within 30 days, offering an institutional forum for parents to raise concerns.

This systematic rollout aims to avoid confusion and ensure that all stakeholders including schools, parents and regulators have clarity well before the next fees cycle begins. Such phased implementation reduces the likelihood of disputes arising from procedural lapses or administrative unpreparedness.

Reactions from Schools and Parents

Responses to the government’s decision have been predictably varied.

Some school managements and educational groups, which had challenged the Act’s immediacy before the High Court, welcomed the deferral as pragmatic and necessary. They emphasised that fixing fees for this academic year, already concluded in many respects by the time the law was notified, would have been administratively untenable and legally contestable.

Conversely, parental advocacy organisations have underscored the need for retrospective scrutiny of any fee hikes imposed in 2025–26 that may have exceeded lawful bounds. These groups argue that safeguarding parents’ interests requires not only freezing future increases, but also reviewing questionable past practices.

The government has reiterated that the SLFRC mechanism, once operational, will provide a platform to address such concerns, while continuing legal proceedings offer another avenue for redress.

Broader Policy and Legal Context

The debate over fee regulation in Delhi’s private schools unfolds against a backdrop of growing public discourse on education affordability in India’s urban centres. Delhi with its dense population of premium private schools and diverse socio-economic mix has been a focal point of debates around unchecked fee escalations and the financial pressure faced by average families.

The introduction of the Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees Act, 2025, followed months of protests and parent-led campaigns calling for legislative intervention, reflecting widespread frustration with opaque fee systems that often lacked clear justification for year-on-year increases.

Nevertheless, the Act’s rollout has also revealed tensions between regulatory intent and administrative execution, highlighting the challenges inherent in calibrating ambitious policy frameworks with procedural feasibility, particularly within the constraints of the academic calendar.

Looking Ahead: Implementation from 2026–27

With the new academic session around the corner, attention now turns to how the law will function in practice. Schools must rapidly adapt to the committee-based approval process, while parents and civil society groups will monitor the integrity and transparency of fee fixation decisions. The District Fee Appellate Committees, in particular, are expected to play a central role in resolving disputes and ensuring that decisions are equitable and grounded in clear financial rationale.

The phased transition also gives the government time to refine regulatory norms, enhance capacity within the Directorate of Education, and build awareness among stakeholders about their rights and responsibilities under the new regime.

Ultimately, the success of this policy will be judged not merely on its legislative framework, but on the confidence it inspires among families, the accountability it imposes on schools, and its capacity to balance institutional autonomy with the public interest. Should it strike that balance, Delhi’s fee regulation law could serve as a model for other Indian states grappling with similar issues in the private education sector.

Conclusion

The decision to defer the implementation of the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025, until the 2026–27 academic year represents more than a technical adjustment: it reflects a conscientious recalibration of policy in the face of practical constraints. For parents, the freeze on fee hikes this year offers immediate financial assurance; for schools, it allows preparatory breathing space; and for policymakers, it provides an opportunity to ensure that a well-intentioned law is rolled out in a clear, systematic and equitable manner.

As Delhi’s education landscape prepares to embrace this reform, the coming months will reveal whether the promise of greater transparency and fairness in fee determination can translate into tangible relief for families and whether this high-profile experiment in governance can deliver on its far-reaching aspirations.