Latest news with #DPSDwarka
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rising school fees push Indian families to the brink
Parents in several Indian cities, including capital Delhi, are protesting against what they call "unsustainable" fee raises by private schools. These increases, they say, are stretching household budgets to a breaking point and taking a toll on their children. Aaditya Mattey, 14, woke up on 9 May feeling confident about his English exam. His father dropped him off at his school in Indian capital Delhi, but Aaditya never got to write his exam. "Two or three minutes after I entered the class, guards and bouncers asked me to leave the room," Aaditya recalls. His father was still standing outside the school gates when Aaditya and a few other students were asked to get on the school bus, which dropped them off at their homes. Aaditya's name was removed from Delhi Public School Dwarka's rolls after his father refused to pay a recent fee hike which he alleges was arbitrary and unauthorised. The BBC reached out to DPS Dwarka and the Delhi Public School Society - which runs the DPS chain of schools - for comment, but did not receive a response. Aaditya's case is not an isolated one and DPS is not the only school which is facing allegations of arbitrary fee increase. Over the past two months, protests have erupted across Indian cities - from Delhi to Pune to Hyderabad - as a growing number of parents accuse private schools of imposing steep fee raises. In Delhi, which has emerged as the epicentre of the protests, the issue recently made headlines after DPS Dwarka allegedly confined students in the library, hired security guards to stop them from entering classes and expelled them over unpaid dues. Parents have accused the school of punishing children for financial decisions made by their families. Government-run schools operate nationwide but often suffer from poor, inconsistent quality, prompting even many low-income families to choose private schools for better opportunities. In Delhi, rules say that private schools on government-leased land must get Directorate of Education (DoE) approval before raising fees and must admit 25% economically weaker or disadvantaged students - a condition tied to their subsidised leases. The BBC has contacted the DoE for comment on the fee rises, which parents have reported to us, but has not received a response. Schools, on the other hand, have argued in court and told parents that they are struggling. They cite inflation, rising staff salaries, delayed reimbursements from the government for economically weaker students and the need for infrastructure upgrades as reasons for raising fees. Divya Mattey says his son Aaditya's annual fee in 2020 was 93,400 rupees ($1,077; £802). This, he says, has more than doubled to 189,096 rupees in 2025-26. Mr Mattey is among dozens of parents who have taken the school to court, alleging it has unlawfully removed students from rolls and harassed families over the fee issue. "We never thought a school of this stature would treat children like this - bar them from classrooms, assign bouncers and make them sit in the library for days," he says. The school did not answer the BBC's questions over email and on a phone call. But in court, it reportedly argued that there was no legal obligation to retain students whose fees haven't been paid. According to a report in The Indian Express newspaper, DPS claimed it suffered losses of 490m rupees last year and had to raise fees. A notice on the school's website meanwhile accuses "a small group of parents" of spreading "false and malicious information regarding the school fee structure" in an attempt to "mislead and create confusion". But the controversy reflects a broader problem. A recent survey by online community platform LocalCircles found that more than 80% of parents with children in private schools said fees had increased by over 10% this academic year. In cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, the rise in some schools was as high as 30%. India has no centralised regulation for private schools; each state sets its own rules. For example, Maharashtra allows a 15% fee rise every two years - subject to review if 25% of parents object - while Karnataka permits a 10% annual increase with audit justification. Enforcement, however, is weak, and legal disputes over fees often drag on for years, providing little timely relief to families. Gagandeep Singh, whose son attends Mira Model School in West Delhi, says fees rose 45% last year and over 10% this year. Singh is willing to pay the earlier DoE-approved fee, but says the school has refused his cheque for the current term, which began nearly three months ago. The BBC reached out to Mira Model School but received no response. "It's not our job to regulate schools," Mr Singh says. "That's what the government is supposed to do." Meanwhile, many parents fear that the DPS case has set a troubling precedent. "We don't want our children to be thrown out of their classes, like what happened there," says Pankaj Gupta, whose son studies at Delhi's Maharaja Agarsain Public School. Mr Gupta said the school increased fees by 25% this year without advance notice. "We had no choice. We had to pay," he added. Mr Gupta runs a small convenience store but has faced declining sales since the pandemic. The rise of online shopping has further squeezed physical stores. Now, rising school fees are pushing his family to the brink. The BBC has reached out to Maharaja Agarsain Public School for comment. Another parent, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she's considering withdrawing her son from the school he attended since childhood due to an "unsustainable" 30% fee hike this year. "Both my husband and I work, but our salaries haven't gone up significantly. As a parent, you try to give your child the best but sometimes that comes at great personal cost," she said. But she admits that switching schools also feels risky - what if the next one also increases fees? "It's the same situation everywhere," she said. The uproar has prompted the Delhi government to act. On 10 June the state cabinet approved the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Ordinance, 2025, pending the Lieutenant Governor's approval - necessary for it to become a law. Though not yet public, Education Minister Ashish Sood says it will tighten private school fee regulations. But parents are demanding greater transparency. Last weekend, hundreds protested in Delhi, urging the government to consider their feedback when drafting the bill. Shikha Sharma Bagga, Supreme Court lawyer and secretary of a group called Justice for All, urges timely audits: "Schools' finances must be audited before each academic year so parents know what they're paying for." Back in Dwarka, Aaditya is still trying to get back to class. Media reports say DPS Dwarka has agreed to reinstate students expelled for not paying fees. But Mr Mattey says they are still waiting. "The school has shown some reciprocation, but to this date my child's name is not back on the register," he says, adding that he hasn't received any assignments for the current academic session. "My son is only 14. He should be focusing on his studies, not worrying about whether he'll be allowed to sit in class tomorrow." Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
BBC News
27-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Delhi: Rising school fees push Indian families to the brink
Parents in several Indian cities, including capital Delhi, are protesting against what they call "unsustainable" fee raises by private schools. These increases, they say, are stretching household budgets to a breaking point and taking a toll on their Mattey, 14, woke up on 9 May feeling confident about his English father dropped him off at his school in Indian capital Delhi, but Aaditya never got to write his exam."Two or three minutes after I entered the class, guards and bouncers asked me to leave the room," Aaditya father was still standing outside the school gates when Aaditya and a few other students were asked to get on the school bus, which dropped them off at their name was removed from Delhi Public School Dwarka's rolls after his father refused to pay a recent fee hike which he alleges was arbitrary and BBC reached out to DPS Dwarka and the Delhi Public School Society - which runs the DPS chain of schools - for comment, but did not receive a case is not an isolated one and DPS is not the only school which is facing allegations of arbitrary fee the past two months, protests have erupted across Indian cities - from Delhi to Pune to Hyderabad - as a growing number of parents accuse private schools of imposing steep fee raises. In Delhi, which has emerged as the epicentre of the protests, the issue recently made headlines after DPS Dwarka allegedly confined students in the library, hired security guards to stop them from entering classes and expelled them over unpaid dues. Parents have accused the school of punishing children for financial decisions made by their schools operate nationwide but often suffer from poor, inconsistent quality, prompting even many low-income families to choose private schools for better Delhi, rules say that private schools on government-leased land must get Directorate of Education (DoE) approval before raising fees and must admit 25% economically weaker or disadvantaged students - a condition tied to their subsidised BBC has contacted the DoE for comment on the fee rises, which parents have reported to us, but has not received a on the other hand, have argued in court and told parents that they are struggling. They cite inflation, rising staff salaries, delayed reimbursements from the government for economically weaker students and the need for infrastructure upgrades as reasons for raising fees. Divya Mattey says his son Aaditya's annual fee in 2020 was 93,400 rupees ($1,077; £802). This, he says, has more than doubled to 189,096 rupees in Mattey is among dozens of parents who have taken the school to court, alleging it has unlawfully removed students from rolls and harassed families over the fee issue."We never thought a school of this stature would treat children like this - bar them from classrooms, assign bouncers and make them sit in the library for days," he school did not answer the BBC's questions over email and on a phone call. But in court, it reportedly argued that there was no legal obligation to retain students whose fees haven't been paid. According to a report in The Indian Express newspaper, DPS claimed it suffered losses of 490m rupees last year and had to raise fees.A notice on the school's website meanwhile accuses "a small group of parents" of spreading "false and malicious information regarding the school fee structure" in an attempt to "mislead and create confusion".But the controversy reflects a broader problem.A recent survey by online community platform LocalCircles found that more than 80% of parents with children in private schools said fees had increased by over 10% this academic year. In cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, the rise in some schools was as high as 30%.India has no centralised regulation for private schools; each state sets its own example, Maharashtra allows a 15% fee rise every two years - subject to review if 25% of parents object - while Karnataka permits a 10% annual increase with audit justification. Enforcement, however, is weak, and legal disputes over fees often drag on for years, providing little timely relief to Singh, whose son attends Mira Model School in West Delhi, says fees rose 45% last year and another 7% this is willing to pay the earlier DoE-approved fee, but the school has refused his cheque for the current term, which began nearly three months BBC reached out to Mira Model School but received no response."It's not our job to regulate schools," Mr Singh says. "That's what the government is supposed to do."Meanwhile, many parents fear that the DPS case has set a troubling precedent."We don't want our children to be thrown out of their classes, like what happened there," says Pankaj Gupta, whose son studies at Delhi's Maharaja Agarsain Public Gupta said the school increased fees by 25% this year without advance notice."We had no choice. We had to pay," he Gupta runs a small convenience store but has faced declining sales since the pandemic. The rise of online shopping has further squeezed physical stores. Now, rising school fees are pushing his family to the BBC has reached out to Maharaja Agarsain Public School for comment. Another parent, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she's considering withdrawing her son from the school he attended since childhood due to an "unsustainable" 30% fee hike this year."Both my husband and I work, but our salaries haven't gone up significantly. As a parent, you try to give your child the best but sometimes that comes at great personal cost," she she admits that switching schools also feels risky - what if the next one also increases fees?"It's the same situation everywhere," she uproar has prompted the Delhi government to 10 June the state cabinet approved the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Ordinance, 2025, pending the Lieutenant Governor's approval - necessary for it to become a not yet public, Education Minister Ashish Sood says it will tighten private school fee parents are demanding greater transparency. Last weekend, hundreds protested in Delhi, urging the government to consider their feedback when drafting the Sharma Bagga, Supreme Court lawyer and secretary of a group called Justice for All, urges timely audits: "Schools' finances must be audited before each academic year so parents know what they're paying for."Back in Dwarka, Aaditya is still trying to get back to reports say DPS Dwarka has agreed to reinstate students expelled for not paying fees. But Mr Mattey says they are still waiting."The school has shown some reciprocation, but to this date my child's name is not back on the register," he says, adding that he hasn't received any assignments for the current academic session."My son is only 14. He should be focusing on his studies, not worrying about whether he'll be allowed to sit in class tomorrow."Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
The Hindu
14-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Parents of students enrolled at DPS Dwarka protest ‘expulsion' from official WhatsApp groups
Several parents of students enrolled at Delhi Public School, Dwarka, staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar on Saturday. Most parents at the historic protest site included those whose children were expelled by the school for non-payment of the hiked fees, but reinstated subsequently on the orders of the Delhi High Court. The protesters alleged that while the school had allowed their children to attend classes, its administration 'continues to harass them by not sharing summer holiday homework and other school-related information'. Sheetal Sharma, whose son studies in Class 4 at DPS Dwarka, said, 'The future of my son is uncertain. We were removed from the school's official WhatsApp groups. All official information regarding homework, school activities, and summer projects is conveyed via these groups.' The Hindu received no response from DPS Dwarka principal Priya Narayanan over the allegations levelled by the parents. The parents demanded immediate intervention by the Delhi government to 'safeguard the rights of our children' and ensure 'compliance with official directives'. They also claimed to have received an e-mail from the school regarding 'outstanding fee dues', which are 'higher' than what the Delhi High Court asked them to pay. In its May 16 order, the court had directed parents to deposit 50% of the hiked fees for the current academic year, following which their wards would be allowed to continue in their respective classes. Praveen Menon, one of the aggrieved parents, said, 'There is a mismatch in our calculations based on the court's order and the amount that the school is demanding.' On June 10, the Delhi Cabinet approved an ordinance to regulate school fee hikes. The ordinance will become law upon receiving President Droupadi Murmu's approval. Divya Mattey, one of the protesting parents, said, 'We don't know if the ordinance will help. But we are hopeful.'
Indian Express
05-06-2025
- Indian Express
Bouncers at school to block entry of students reprehensible: HC pulls up DPS Dwarka amid fee hike row
A reprehensible practice like deploying bouncers to block entry of students has no place in an institute of learning, the Delhi High Court said on Thursday as it pulled up DPS Dwarka for disregarding the dignity of a child, and expressed 'dismay' amid a row over the fee hike issue. 'Public shaming or intimidation of a student on account of financial default, especially through force or coercive action, not only constitutes mental harassment but also undermines the psychological well-being and self-worth of a child,' the High Court underlined. Justice Sachin Datta recorded the observations in a verdict while deciding an application moved by parents of 32 students who were expelled by the school over non-payment of pending dues. Noting that DPS Dwarka had subsequently withdrawn the expulsion order and had reinstated the students, making the application moot, the court observed, 'This court is also constrained to express its dismay at the alleged conduct of the petitioner school in engaging bouncers to physically block entry of certain students into the school premises.' 'Such a reprehensible practice has no place in an institute of learning. It reflects not only disregard to the dignity of a child but also a fundamental misunderstanding of a school's role in society. The use of bouncers fosters a climate of fear, humiliation and exclusion that is incompatible with the fundamental ethos of a school,' the court underlined. The court also reiterated that a school 'cannot be equated with a purely commercial establishment' as a school is 'rooted not in profit maximisation but in public welfare, nation building and the holistic development of children.' 'The primary objective of a school is to impart education and inculcate values, not to operate as a business enterprise…The school, no doubt, is entitled to charge appropriate fees, especially given the financial outlay required to sustain infrastructure, remunerate staff and provide a conducive learning environment. However, the school is different from a normal commercial establishment, since it carries with it fiduciary and moral responsibilities towards its students,' the court recorded. The bench further underlined that in case the school decides to take any action in future under Rule 35 of the Delhi School Education Rules, 1973, which deals with striking off of students from the school's roll, it will issue a prior communication – specifically putting the students concerned or their parents or guardians to notice — as to the date on which the students are proposed to be struck off the rolls. The school is bound to give a reasonable opportunity to show cause against such action, the court said. Disposing of the application, the High Court emphasised that the parents concerned 'are obliged to adhere and comply with the orders passed by this Court as regards payment of requisite fees to the school.' Earlier on May 16, the High Court, observing that there is no embargo on schools hiking fees, had directed DPS Dwarka to allow the 102 students, whose parents had moved the court against the fee hike, to continue their studies, provided they deposit 50% of the hiked school fee for the 2024-25 academic year.
Mint
05-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
School fee hike row: DPS Dwarka cancels order striking names of 30 students over failure to pay hiked fee
DPS Dwarka informed the Delhi High Court that it has withdrawn its order removing the names of over 30 students due to non-payment of increased fees by their parents. As Justice Sachin Datta's bench convened to deliver a verdict on the parents' plea challenging the school's action, the school's counsel stated that the decision had been withdrawn given an earlier order issued by a coordinate bench led by Justice Vikas Mahajan, as reported by Hindustan Times. Last Wednesday, justice Mahajan had directed the directed the expelled students to pay 50% of the increased fees for the academic year 2024-25, pending DOE's decision on their representation. Taking note of the submission, justice Datta remarked that the grievance no longer survived and said that he would pass an appropriate order, taking on record the statement. 'Thus the grievance does not survive. I'll take note of the fact that you have withdrawn the order. I'll pass an appropriate order with observations and directions,' Justice Datta said, HT reported. LiveLaw reported citing cousel, 'We have withdrawn the suspension order striking off students and have filed an affidavit to that effect on Monday.' Earlier, ANI reported on June 2, citing sources, that the Delhi government is preparing to introduce an ordinance aimed at regulating fees in private schools. The draft of the proposed ordinance, titled the Delhi School Education Bill, 2025, has reportedly been sent to the Law Department for review. The move follows a meeting held on April 29, chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, during which the Delhi government approved a bill to regulate school fees in both private and government institutions across the national capital. On April 16, show-cause notices were issued to 10 schools over arbitrary fee hikes and failure to submit their audit reports. The current Delhi government has already collected audited financial reports from 600 schools as part of its ongoing effort to regulate school fee structures. (With inputs from agencies)
