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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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
