Atishi accuses BJP of shielding schools, demands fee rollback
New Delhi: Delhi’s Leader of Opposition and senior AAP leader Atishi on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led state government, accusing it of enabling private schools to “loot” parents through arbitrary fee hikes. She demanded an immediate stay on increased fees and called for an audit of all fee-hiking schools by auditors empanelled with the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
In a strongly worded press conference and an open letter to CM Rekha Gupta, Atishi alleged, “If the BJP has no nexus with the education mafia, let them prove it through action, not silence.” She highlighted widespread unrest, pointing to parent-led protests outside schools across Delhi. “There is chaos across the Capital due to indiscriminate fee hikes, yet the BJP government remains inert,” she said.
Citing examples, Atishi mentioned fee hikes of 30 per cent at Lancer Convent, 18 per cent at Salwan Public School and 11 per cent at St Angel’s, with similar increases reported at Ahlcon, Birla Vidya Niketan, Rukmini Devi and Greenfields.
She contrasted this with the AAP’s 10-year tenure, claiming its policies had curbed such practices by mandating financial audits prior to any hike. “Our government even ensured illegally collected fees were returned to parents,” she stated.
In her letter, she accused the BJP government of reversing these safeguards. “It appears schools are now trying to recover the profits they were denied over the last decade,” she wrote. Her demands included a complete stay on current hikes, compulsory audits by CAG-recognised auditors, and fee approvals only if no profiteering is found. “Now what action the Chief Minister takes will tell whether the BJP government is with the education mafia or with the parents,” she posted on social media platform X.
Mass Audit for Delhi’s Private Schools
Responding to the criticism, Delhi’s Education Minister Ashish Sood on Monday announced a crackdown on private institutions found engaging in the “commercialisation of education.” Addressing a press conference, he said the government had set up SDM-led committees to audit all 1,677 private schools in the Capital. “Temples of learning cannot be turned into profit-making hubs,” Sood said. He criticised the AAP government’s record, noting that only 75 schools were audited annually over a decade. Investigations have already begun into fee hikes at DPS Dwarka, which raised fees five times between 2020 and 2025. The inquiry, led by the District Magistrate of Kapashera, is expected to conclude within 10 days.
Audit reports will be made public via the Directorate of Education’s website. Sood urged parents to report grievances at ‘[email protected]’ or visit local DoE offices. “We will not tolerate exploitation,” he said.
