‘Our salaries can’t keep pace’: Parents vs Delhi schools as fees skyrocket

When the new school year started in April, the woman was shocked to see the hike in school fees. “In the last one-and-a-half years alone, the fees have increased by 43-45%,” she said.

Her daughters study at Chinmaya Vidyalaya in Vasant Vihar; the eldest is in high school and the younger one in middle school.

“Once a child enters class 9… It’s a lock-in period. They continue till class 12 in the same school; it’s very difficult to switch at that stage,” she said.

For a class 11 or 12 Science student, the total monthly fee is now Rs 13,728 — a 52% jump from 2023 when it was Rs 8,975.

“We are a middle-class family,” the woman added. “My husband works in another city. I manage everything here, including the finances… what can I do?”

The mother is not alone in her frustration over the rising cost of private education.

In recent weeks, parents by the hundreds took to Delhi’s streets to protest against fee hikes across several private schools. This was no spontaneous outburst — it came after months of tension, attempts at dialogue, and rising discontent.

The trigger for the hike was a Delhi High Court order from April 2024. Justice C Hari Shankar, in an interim order, had stayed a Directorate of Education (DoE) order requiring private schools on government-allotted land to seek prior approval before raising fees. The court said schools only need to submit a fee statement under Section 17(3) of the Delhi School Education Act and Rules (DSEAR), 1973, and limited the DoE’s role to checking for profiteering or capitation fees.

For schools, the decision eased a major hurdle — they no longer had to wait for the DoE’s approval. With over 390 schools — out of a total of 1,677 private schools — on land allotted by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) at concessional rates now exempt from seeking official sanction, the impact was immediate.

In the new academic session, many schools revised their fee structures — some hiked them by 10%, others by as much as 45%.

The issue turned into a flashpoint at Delhi Public School (DPS) Dwarka, with parents staging repeated protests outside both the school and the DoE. Here, total yearly fees touched Rs 1.4 lakh, with consecutive hikes in tuition fee by 20%, 13%, 9%, 8%, and 7% from 2020 to 2025.

By mid-March, allegations of “harassment” surfaced at DPS Dwarka; children of fee-disputing parents were isolated in the library, restricted from the canteen, and barred from mingling with their peers. These claims were confirmed by an eight-member inspection committee led by District Magistrate (Southwest) Lakshay Singhal.

The HC on April 16 chastised the school for using the institution as a “money-making machine” and issued specific directions to ensure there is no discrimination against students.

The issue quickly escalated into a heated political tussle between the freshly sworn-in BJP government under CM Rekha Gupta and the Aam Aadmi Party, which had for long touted its education model as “revolutionary”.

Education Minister Ashish Sood said it “was the first time in the history of Delhi’s education system” that the BJP government set up a committee that led to court action. He also launched an audit of all 1,677 recognised private schools via SDM-led committees and blamed the previous AAP government for lacking “political will,” auditing only 75 schools a year.

AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj hit back, alleging the BJP hadn’t even appointed auditors. Earlier, Leader of Opposition, Atishi, accused Gupta of being “hand in glove with private school lobbies.”

DPS Dwarka, in a statement on Saturday, rejected allegations against the school. “The revision in school fees is well-rounded and aligned with the periodic revisions mandated by the VII Central Pay Commission, rising impact of labour-oriented costs, government tariffs, and other statutory compliances.”

“Any information being disseminated in the public domain against the school in this regard is false and frivolous,” it added.

CM Gupta, meanwhile, has ordered strict action against schools hiking fees without justification. The DoE has since issued show-cause notices to 11 schools.

Despite this, parents remain anxious.

‘Need transparency’

When Birla Vidya Niketan (BVN), a prominent school in Pushp Vihar, sent out its fee slips after the academic session kicked off, parents were left reeling.

The total annual fee had risen to Rs 1,43,952 — an 18% increase from the previous year’s Rs 1,21,800, for a Class 9 child moving to Class 10. The development fee increased to Rs 14,352 from Rs 3,600 in a year.

“As parents, we do understand that a fee hike may be necessary. But it cannot be random — it can’t be implemented with the assumption that parents will just be okay with it. There has to be transparency and uniformity in how such big decisions are made,” said a parent.

The school in a circular stated: “During [a class-wise meeting with the principal on the 2025-26 fee structure], parents stated their concern… [that] prior information was not given to them, and it came as a shock on March 29 on uploading bills for April-June 25.”

On the fee hike, the school, in the circular, pointed to the installation of air conditioning systems for the primary and senior blocks. Later, it revised the development fee and annual charge, bringing them down from Rs 1,380 to Rs 1,196 and from Rs 1,850 to Rs 1,600, respectively, per month.

Over the past nine years, the total fee in the school has surged by 98%, nearly doubling from Rs 72,840 in 2017-18 (for Class 2) to the current amount. The tuition fee alone went up by 99% during this period, increasing from Rs 55,440 to Rs 1,10,400 — for a student who was in Class 2 in 2017-18 and is now in Class 10.

A parent said: “We consulted experts to know the cost of installation and associated expenses for 410 units of 2.5-tonne ACs, as the school claimed they would fit. Even with all considerations — equipment, labour, electrical upgrades — Rs 12 crore [total amount] seems excessive. The school says it’s needed for rewiring the entire building, and it’s a once-in-25-years project, and so on. But should students be charged for infrastructure in this way?”

Rohit Juneja, a parent of a Class 8 student at Queen Mary’s School (QMS), Northend, Model Town, said school-related expenses have become increasingly difficult to manage since the pandemic years, even though his family doesn’t have liabilities like home loans or EMIs.

His main financial expenditure remains his daughter’s education. “Before the pandemic, the school was charging around Rs 50,000 annually. This has increased to more than Rs 1,35,000 now. Jitna schools charge karte hain… utni toh salaries Covid ke baad kissi ki badhi hi nahi hain… yehi sabse badi dikkat hai. (Since Covid, our salaries have not increased as much as schools charge. This is the biggest problem).”

During the pandemic, Juneja was earning about Rs 50,000 a month. “It was very tight back then,” he recalled. After accepting a job based outside Delhi, his income increased enough to afford the fees. “I can now manage the annual fee,” he said. “But that’s just the start — the real challenge is meeting all the additional costs the school imposes.”

According to the QMS official fee structure, the total annual payment for 2024-25 was Rs 1,02,613. In the new session, the increase was over Rs 32,000.

“But beyond that, the yearly cost touches Rs 2.5 lakh,” Juenja explained. “Books, uniforms, digital devices, and extracurriculars keep adding up.”

Sharing specific examples, he said: “They (school) asked for approximately Rs 3 lakh for a school trip to the US. That’s just not feasible for most families. Last year, my daughter went on a trip to Jim Corbett National Park, which alone cost around Rs 15,000.”

He also points out that digital learning tools are no longer optional. “Teachers send homework and material through the school app — even during summer vacations — so we’ve had to buy tablets and other devices. It feels like these excursions and assignments have become a way to extract more money from parents.”

Earlier this month, the school was under fire after parents alleged an arbitrary fee hike as well as “harassment”. In a statement on April 16, the school clarified that “no student has been expelled for non-payment of fee hike 2025-26…” and condemned “false narratives”.

A mother whose children study at Chinmaya Vidyalaya said even attempts to switch schools proved futile. “We did try to get our child admitted elsewhere, but admission takes a lot of time… and nothing is guaranteed.”

Archana Soni, Principal of Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Vasant Vihar, told The Indian Express that the school has approached the HC and DoE for relief. “Deprived of a fee increase for several years, the school has faced financial strain and losses… and is still not able to meet its 7th Pay Commission liability, statutory obligations and inflationary trends,” she said.

Schools stand their ground

From paying staff salaries, building infrastructure, to, most importantly, years of financial strain — principals of several city schools have cited a host of reasons justifying the move to hike fees.

At a leading private school, where parents raised concerns about a recent fee hike, the principal said: “We need a minimum of 10% increase in school fees every year… The CBSE continues to introduce new skill-based subjects, which require infrastructure upgrades and specialised trainers. If we plan to introduce a robotics lab or carpentry classes, we need expert trainers — not only to teach students but to train teachers.”

Referring to faculty and financial planning, the principal said, “… Tuition fees cover not just salaries of teachers but also retirement benefits and allowances… Schools must offer competitive salaries to retain and recruit good educators.”

Similarly, another private school principal, who did not wish to be named, said, “To cover running costs of ACs, payment of salaries with increments… is where hiked fees come in. We haven’t made any major infrastructure changes, but operational costs are high.”

Other schools, too, cited years of financial strain. At Air Force Bal Bharati School (AFBBS), for instance, the situation is tied closely to staff salaries and operational viability.

From 2016-2021, the DoE did not permit any fee hike. Meanwhile, staff salaries continued to rise by an average of 10% annually, creating a growing gap between income and expenditure, especially after the implementation of the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC).

To maintain day-to-day operations, the school exhausted its reserves. Recognising the mounting crisis, the DoE approved fee hikes in 2022 and 2023 — at 18% and 9% respectively.

For 2024, AFBBS submitted its fee hike proposal to the DoE in April. However, the lack of response, due to the matter being sub-judice, forced the school to implement a mid-session tuition fee hike. It claimed this was the only way to pay staff salaries.

Under Section 73 of the Delhi School Education Act and Rules (DSEAR), 1973, every school is required to submit a statement of proposed fee hikes to the Directorate by March 31 each year. Additionally, under Section 180, they must file their audited balance sheets by July 31.

“There’s always a delay of one to two years in responding to schools’ fee hike proposals for the ensuing academic session,” an official from the Delhi Education Department said.

AFBBS maintained that it follows all due procedures, including prior approval from the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) General Body and School Management Committee (SMC), and that it does not indulge in profiteering or charge capitation fees.

At Salwan Public School in Mayur Vihar, Chairperson Bharat Salhotra said they would have been forced to close down operations by October last year if the same fee structure had been followed.

The school had not been allowed to increase fees for nine years — from 2015-16 to 2023-24. Major General Ajay Khandpur, Director of the SMC, said, “The DoE rejected fee hike proposals, asking the school to use the development fee for meeting financial implications of the 7th CPC… We kept eating into our reserves until it hit null. Development activities such as setting up an auditorium, amphitheatre, STEM labs, volleyball court, and many more that we planned, got affected.”

This prompted the school to increase tuition fees by 19% this year, after an increase of 35% last session, said principal Richa Sharma Katyal. She said the tuition fees charged, averaging around Rs 8,500 per month, are nominal, compared to other private schools.

“We desperately needed to construct a lift and renovate 36 washrooms… these were some upgrades we were able to do…,” added Katyal.

According to Dr Usha Ram, manager of Springdales School, Pusa Road, many schools are facing a backlash because they have increased fees in one go. “… it should not be a random increase without consulting parents… We increased the tuition fees only by 9% this year. It is completely need-based,” she told The Indian Express. “Tuition fee is directly used to disburse salaries… we have not increased annual and development charges.”

Experts said the issue is complex

Prof. R. Govinda, former Vice-Chancellor of the National University of Educational Planning and Administration, who has served on multiple SMCs across Delhi, said these bodies are not transparent. “… schools are not completely transparent about their financial exchanges with parent members,” he said, adding that even DoE officials are given incomplete information, which allows space for schools to manipulate the process.

Representatives of parents and students, meanwhile, stood their ground.

S L Jain, senior vice-president, Action Committee Unaided Recognised Private Schools, said, “… it is important to clarify that any fee revision announced by private unaided schools has been carried out well within the legal framework of DSEAR 1973…”

“Unfortunately, a recent campaign against private schools appears to be mischievously conceived and driven by motives that do not align with the genuine concerns of parents or the interests of children…,” Jain said in a statement.

However, Supreme Court advocate Ashok Agarwal, in a letter to the CM this month, highlighted the plight of parents facing arbitrary fee hikes in private schools, driven by the poor quality of government schools. He called for both short- and long-term solutions to curb unjustified fee increases, stating that there is a lack of comprehensive legislation governing fees in unaided private schools in Delhi.

The senior education department official said the issue has been ongoing since at least 2004, if not earlier. “It’s incredibly complex — filled with countless court orders, appeals, and developments. Even the chronology would run into 25-30 pages.”

Referring to the 394 schools granted land by the DDA, with a clear condition that they must adhere to certain norms, the official said: “Some schools operate on private land and often ignore those conditions. As for whether they’re complying with the rules, we don’t always know. Their financial statements are typically submitted to district offices, and access to them is limited.”

There is a legal battle currently underway, the official noted. “We filed an LPA [Letters Patent Appeal] before a division bench following the HC’s interim order last April. That stay has been in place for over a year now. We’ve also submitted a request for an early hearing. We aim to act in the public interest.”