Parents’ body seeks audit of private schools, fee regulation committees

Seeking greater transparency in private school fee regulation, the newly launched Parents Association for Welfare and Justice (PAWJ) on Saturday demanded an independent financial audit of private unaided schools and the immediate constitution of School Level Fee Regulation Committees (SLFRCs).

The association also urged the Government to establish democratically elected Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) in all schools and strictly implement provisions to protect children from harassment due to fee-related disputes. Furthermore, they urged the Government to strictly enforce the provisions of the Delhi School Education Act, 2025.

Speaking at the launch of the association at the Press Club of India, PAWJ president Divya Mattey said parents are equal stakeholders in education and should have a greater role in making the school system transparent, accountable and child-centric.

The association said it formed the group to promote children’s welfare, safety, transparency and accountability, while creating a platform for parents, schools, policymakers and civil society to collaborate on education-related issues.

The parents’ body appealed to the Chief Justice of India and the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court to consider taking suo motu cognisance of issues arising from a May 22 judgment related to private school fee regulation.

PAWJ said the judgment raised questions over the interpretation of earlier Supreme Court and Delhi High Court rulings on prior approval for fee hikes by schools allotted land by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

The organisation also expressed concern that, according to its understanding, the judgment recognised fee collections made between the 2017-18 and 2025-26 academic sessions without prior approval from the Directorate of Education in certain cases.

The association claimed this resulted in unequal treatment of parents, alleging that while some schools were restrained from recovering disputed fee arrears, those who had already paid the increased fees received no similar relief. The parents’ organisation also sought a comprehensive financial audit of all private unaided recognised schools that applied for fee hikes from the 2020-21 academic session onwards to examine compliance with statutory provisions and Government norms.

It demanded the immediate operationalisation of School Level Fee Regulation Committees under the Delhi School Education Act, 2025, and called for transparent PTAs to strengthen parents’ participation in school governance.