Unaided private schools in Delhi released their first list of selected candidates for the nursery admissions for the 2026-27 academic session, sparking a rush among parents to block the seats. However, uncertainty over the fee structure continued to gnaw at many, given the ongoing legal battle between the Delhi government and several schools over the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025.
Several parents said schools were demanding upfront payments while attaching caveats about possible fee revisions depending on the outcome of the court case. “The slight delay is only because there is a case going on. However we have submitted our response in detail and are hopeful that a judgement will be announced soon. It should help with clearing all confusion on the issue,” said education minister Ashish Sood.
Aparajita Gautam, head of the Delhi School Parents Association, said, “Some schools are asking parents to pay a lump-sum amount, while others are not providing a proper break-up of the fee structure. Many schools have not even declared the fee structure for the academic session 2026–27 on their websites.”
Gautam said, “Whether or not the fee has been approved by the school-level committee, and irrespective of the outcome of the court case, parents have the right to be informed of the fee structure in a transparent and proper manner.”
Several schools are demanding fees with disclaimers such as “possibility of fee hike of up to 10%”, “fee subject to change based on the outcome of the case” and “fee structure is liable to be revised as per prevailing rules”.
“We are taking the same fees as we took for academic session 2025–26, but we have added a caveat that slight changes are possible in the final fee structure for the upcoming session,” the principal of a northwest Delhi-based private school, asking not to be named, said.
The principal of another private school in south Delhi, requesting anonymity, said, “We are still in the process of finalising SLFRC for the ongoing academic session and then are likely to work on the formation of the committee for the next session. Meanwhile, we can’t pause the nursery admission process.”
The Action Committee Unaided Recognized Private Schools, which represents over 670 private unaided schools in the Capital, has challenged the fee Act alleging it undermines the autonomy of private schools, but refused to comment on the matter.