‘Blueprint of loot’: Atishi slams Delhi Education Bill ahead of monsoon session

Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Atishi Marlena, on Monday, slammed the BJP’s proposed ‘Delhi School Education Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees Bill, 2025’, calling it a “blueprint for loot” that offers no audit, no rollback, and no fee regulation. She alleged that the bill empowers private school owners, sidelines parents, and shields profiteers.

Addressing a press conference alongside Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP’s) Chief Whip Sanjeev Jha, she attacked the BJP-led Delhi government ahead of the monsoon session, saying the BJP government is bringing this Bill under the guise of regulating private school fees. She alleged it has been created to solely allow private schools to hike fees and was given to MLAs just two days before being tabled in the Delhi Assembly.

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Stating the stand of her party, Atishi said, “AAP will fight it in the Assembly, on the streets, and in court. The party has demanded that the Bill be sent to a Select Committee and all fee hikes frozen at 2024–25 levels.”

Calling the Bill 100% fraudulent, she highlights that the Bill, in its current form, has no provision to regulate fee-hikes for 2025-26.

Highlighting another serious loophole, the AAP leader said, “This 13-page bill makes no mention of auditing private school accounts. Which means private schools can arbitrarily increase fees, citing imaginary expenses — and no one will be able to verify anything.”

On decision-making, Marlena asked, “Who will chair the fee-hike committee? The school management itself. The very management against whom parents have been protesting in 40-degree heat. It’s crystal clear this bill is designed only to protect private school owners.”