'Son made to sit in library': Delhi parents protest fee hike outside DPS-Dwarka

NEW DELHI: Protests erupted outside DPS Dwarka on Wednesday as several parents gathered to oppose the recent fee hike and alleging unfair treatment of students whose families are resisting the increased charges.
Among the protesters was a parent who claimed her son had been barred from attending regular classes since March 21 and was being made to sit in the library, even though the approved fee was being paid in full.
“I have two children in the school. My daughter is allowed inside the classroom, but my son is made to sit in the library. I am paying the approved fees, not the unapproved hike,” she said, demanding immediate intervention. “This issue is already in court. Why should our children suffer?”

The protest comes amid widespread backlash over fee hikes in private schools across the national capital, fuelling a fresh political tussle between the BJP-led central government and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Education minister Ashish Sood blamed the AAP for allegedly diluting long-standing legal safeguards that regulated school fee hikes. “The Supreme Court’s order in the 2004 Modern School case clearly mandated that Delhi schools must take DoE approval before any hike. But this order was dismissed in 2024 under the AAP government,” he said.
Sood also announced the formation of a high-level audit committee under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to probe fee hikes. “Schools will be audited. If any school is found guilty of taking money under the table or failing audit norms, it won’t be spared,” he added.
Hitting back, AAP Leader and Leader of Opposition Atishi accused the new BJP-led government of allowing private schools to "loot" parents. In a letter to CM Rekha Gupta, she urged an immediate freeze on all enhanced fee collections and called for a time-bound CAG-audited review of school accounts.
“Education is not a business. No school should be allowed to hike fees unless it is absolutely necessary to meet legitimate expenses. The BJP government has turned a blind eye in just two months, allowing private schools to impose unreasonable hikes,” she wrote.
Atishi said that under the AAP regime, strict fee regulation was maintained in both letter and spirit. “Now, parents are forced to protest outside school gates because they’re being denied access for not paying inflated fees.”