Rapid Survey: Challenges of Private School Parents in Delhi

The pandemic has brought to the fore, multiple cases of exploitation and violation of norms by private schools – hiking fees arbitrarily, coercing parents to pay fees for services not being offered, such as transport and lab fees, and cutting off access to online classes for children on non-payment of fees. At a time when 84% households have suffered a reduction in their incomes, private schools have continued to hike their fees. The situation in Delhi is no different. Repeated complaints by parents against private schools have led to the Delhi government releasing an order, asking private schools to collect fees with a 15% deduction. However, violations by private schools extend beyond profiteering and arbitrary fee hikes. There are also concerns about transparency of private school expenditure. . As schools reopen gradually, it is crucial to learn from experiences of private school parents during and prior to the pandemic, in order to develop more effective mechanisms for private school regulation. For this purpose, a rapid survey of private school parents in Delhi was conducted.

Read our recommendations to strengthen private school regulations.

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