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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Hormuz Strait disruptions have caused huge economic impact, energy instability in region: Navy chief
Mumbai (PTI): The Strait of Hormuz disruptions have caused severe economic impact and energy instability in the region, Indian Navy chief Admiral D K Tripathi said on Thursday amid the war in West Asia.
Speaking at an event where INS Sunayna, an offshore patrol vessel, set sail from Mumbai as Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar, the admiral said competition at sea has no longer remained confined to oil and energy.
It is now expanding towards resources that will shape future growth - such as rare earth elements, critical minerals, new fishing grounds and even data, he said.
The West Asia crisis began on February 28 after a joint attack by the US and Israel on Iran.
Iran's strikes on its neighbours along with its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted the world's energy supplies with effects far beyond West Asia.
"With the conflict in West Asia well into its fifth week, the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have caused severe economic impact and energy instability in the region," Tripathi said.
There is significant increase in the marine survey, deep-sea research activity, and Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU), often encroaching upon the sovereign rights of littoral nations and exploiting gaps in monitoring and enforcement, he said.
Alongside these, threats such as piracy, armed robbery and narco-trafficking backed by unimpeded access of advanced technology to non-state actors, have also become more complex and challenging to counter, the Navy chief pointed out.
Last year alone, the Indian Ocean Region witnessed a staggering 3,700 maritime incidents of varying nature, the admiral said.
Additionally, narcotics seizures in the region exceeded USD 1 billion USD in 2025, highlighting the persistence and spread of such challenges in the region, he said.
