00:00In Delhi, children were bought from even entering school for unpaid fees.
00:30This is the story of Delhi parents battling soaring school costs and the kids caught in the middle.
00:49Vinay Kumar Rajput is one of several parents whose children were expelled by Delhi Public
00:53School Varka after they refused to pay a steep fee hike.
00:56For years, the family's finances have been under pressure, with school fees being the
01:08single biggest expense.
01:10His son is in class 3, his daughter in class 9, both studying in the same school.
01:15Until 2021, Rajput had been paying the fee approved by the Directorate of Education.
01:20But that changed when the school began raising its annual charge.
01:31While the school's annual charges including books and uniforms have nearly doubled, his
01:35earnings as a software engineer have barely kept pace.
01:39Parents like him argue they've been paying fees as per the last figure cleared by the Directorate
01:42of Education, 93,400 per year, another 1.95 lakh now sought by the school without formal approval.
01:49In Delhi schools built on Delhi Development Authority land like DPS school are required to get Department
02:06of Education approval before hiking fees.
02:08But parent groups allege many routinely sidestep this rule.
02:12This is more than just about money.
02:14On April 16, 2025, the Delhi High Court slammed DPS Dwarka comparing its treatment of students
02:20to chattel, a term used for movable property or possessions.
02:23He was barred from taking the exams and he was confined to a library for almost from 13 May to 28 May.
02:31The situation isn't unique to DPS.
02:33Aparjita Gautam, President of the Delhi Parents Association, says private schools are turning
02:37into money-minting facilities.
02:39A schoolnet survey reveals that parents are now spending 20-30% of their annual income on
03:07their children's education.
03:09The burden is especially stark in private schools where tuition averages 2,500 to 8,000 per month,
03:14often doubling once books, transport and activity fees are added.
03:18Over a student's academic life, from age 3 to 17, the total cost can exceed 30 lakh rupees.
03:24Government data echoes this disparity.
03:26The latest NSS education survey shows that as children progress through grades,
03:30the gap in educational spending between government and private school widens sharply.
03:35If you don't increase the fees like this, then every day my son will pass out,
03:39and you're second class, I will be paying 45,000 per month for monthly fees.
03:45Parents also report hidden costs beyond tuition, annual development and transport fees,
03:50such as mandatory purchases of uniforms, books and bags exclusively from the school.
03:54Some even say that despite the high fees, they're not convinced that children are getting quality education.
03:59And this isn't just about one school.
04:00Maharaja Agaraseen Model School initially announced a 19% tuition fee hike for 2024-25, effective 1st April 2024.
04:19Following parent protests, it reduced the hike to 9% in March 2025,
04:24with areas payable in three installments between April and June.
04:28The whole expense is Rs. 1.00.
04:30You have to take Rs. 1.25.
04:35There's no risk. You have to keep a surplus.
04:37There's no issue.
04:38But you will charge Rs. 1.00.
04:40You will charge Rs. 3.00.
04:42Triple the amount.
04:43That's the issue.
04:44Meanwhile, across schools, the lack of transparency is a common complaint.
04:48We are in the 3.5 crore loss.
04:51But DOE says that you have the 2.36 crore surplus.
04:56It's not that we don't want to give the school.
04:58We want to give it.
04:59But it's the reason that we have approved fees.
05:03DOE gives approval to the approval that it's so high.
05:08So DOE gives the approval to give it.
05:11Beyond the financial stress, parents say the children are paying the emotional price.
05:16Even in every activities, every things,
05:18the children start to treat each other.
05:21There's also a growing concern about schools not built on DDA-allotted land,
05:25which aren't subject to the same regulatory oversight.
05:28The Delhi Parents Association has demanded clearer guidelines
05:31and more stringent enforcement.
05:33On April 15, 2025, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta warned schools
05:37against arbitrary fees hike promising new legislation.
05:40But on the ground, parents a little has changed.
05:42We reached out to DPS Dwaraka for a response but haven't heard back yet.
05:52Meanwhile, on 5th June 2025, the Delhi High Court ordered that the expulsions be revoked.
05:56But parents alleged that this is just a repetition of earlier directions,
06:00what remains unresolved sea hikes without approval.
06:03They don't know their homework.
06:07They don't know their homework.
06:08They don't know what communication is going on in school
06:11or in other students.
06:13They don't know their name is Reinstate.
06:16So I'm in total despair.
06:18Where did they get the right?
06:19They don't want to walk in a room.
06:20Wait, what is that?
06:21Why do they go and use your website?
06:22It's the
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