Private schools in Delhi to form fee fixation committees by Jan 10: Education Minister Sood
New Delhi (PTI): All schools in the national capital will have to constitute school-level fee fixation committees by January 10, under a new law aimed at ensuring transparency in fee determination, Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood said on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference, Sood said the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025, has been enacted under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and will function alongside the existing the Delhi School Education Act and Rules of 1973.
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He said the Directorate of Education (DoE) has issued detailed directions for the formation of School Level Fee Fixation Committees (SLFFC) and District Level Fee Appellate Committees (DLFAC) after the framing of rules under the new legislation. These provisions will be binding on schools starting from the 2025-26 academic session.
As per the guidelines, every school will have to form an 11-member SLFFC comprising representatives of the school management, the principal, teachers and parents. The committee will examine and submit proposals related to school fees, including fee hikes already implemented by some schools in the current academic year, he said.
Sood said schools will have to submit their fee proposals to the committee by January 25. The SLFFC is required to take a decision within 30 days. If it fails to do so, the matter will automatically be referred to the District Level Fee Appellate Committee for review.
The minister said the new law aims to ensure fairness, accountability and equal opportunities for students, while preventing what he described as "arbitrary fee hikes," a long-standing concern among parents.
He added that the education department has laid down norms for disclosures and compliance related to the 2025-26 fee proposals. Details regarding a state-level committee will be notified separately.
Sood described the move as a significant step in Delhi's education reforms, saying the government remains committed to the emotional, physical, financial, and mental well-being of children.
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Bengaluru man arrested for sharing misleading ‘zombie drug’ video
Bengaluru (PTI): A day after a video of a man seen in a disoriented state went viral on social media with claims that he was under the influence of a so-called “zombie drug”, police on Friday arrested a 29-year-old employee of a private firm here for uploading the “misleading” video.
Hemanth, a resident of Vidyaranyapura, was issued a notice to join the inquiry, police said.
Learning that the police were looking for him, he posted an apology on social media. He was later taken into custody, a senior police officer said.
A case has been registered against him under Sections 353(2), relating to statements conducing to public mischief, including spreading false information or rumours that could incite public disorder, and Section 352, dealing with intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, among others, under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, police added.
After Hemanth uploaded the video, it quickly went viral on Thursday.
Later, police clarified that the man shown in a disoriented state in the video had not consumed any narcotic or psychotropic substance.
He was subjected to a medical examination, and the report confirmed that there was no trace of narcotic substances, Bengaluru police said.
The police also urged the public not to spread unverified or misleading information on social media platforms, as such content can create unnecessary panic and harm individuals’ reputations.
The footage, which circulated widely on social media, showed the man standing motionless. People claimed he might be under the influence of a synthetic “zombie drug” and raised concerns about its availability in the city.
An inquiry revealed that the individual seen in the video had come to Bengaluru in search of a livelihood and had been residing there for the past three months, police said, adding that further investigation is ongoing.
The police warned that strict action will be taken against persons found spreading false information or rumours.
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