Delhi High Court Directs Education Department to Ensure PTAs in All Schools
The Delhi High Court has issued a clear directive to the Directorate of Education. The court wants the department to ensure that every school in the capital has a properly formed Parent-Teacher Association. This order came during a hearing on Wednesday.
Court Seeks Response and Action Report
A division bench comprising Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia heard a public interest litigation filed by the NGO Justice for All. The bench directed the Directorate of Education to submit a response to the petition's contentions. More importantly, the court ordered the department to bring on record all steps taken so far to ensure every school has a duly constituted PTA.
The court also ordered that all necessary actions be taken immediately in schools where any deficiency exists regarding PTAs. The matter has been scheduled for the next hearing on April 29.
PIL Reveals Widespread Non-Compliance
The public interest litigation brought alarming facts to light. According to a survey conducted by the petitioners, as of December last year, 170 private schools in Delhi do not have a Parent-Teacher Association. These schools are not following the existing guidelines issued in 2010.
The petition emphasized that democratically elected PTAs are not just desirable but a legal requirement. The Delhi School Education Act of 1973, along with its rules and the 2010 guidelines, make PTAs a prerequisite for a valid fee fixation process.
Serious Concerns About Democratic Process
The petitioners raised even more serious concerns. They highlighted that many schools have completely failed to constitute a PTA. Even worse, some schools have subverted the democratic process by nominating their own favored individuals to executive committees.
This practice creates what the petitioners call "a captive and compliant body" that fails to represent parents' interests. Such actions undermine the very purpose of having parent representation in school governance.
Increased Importance Under New Law
The role of Parent-Teacher Associations has become even more crucial under recent legislation. The Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act of 2025 gives PTAs significant responsibilities under sections 7 and 10.
The new law mandates the constitution of School-level Fee Regulation Committees. These 11-member committees must include five parent representatives from school PTAs, along with three teachers and one DoE nominee.
Background on Fee Regulation Deadlines
In related developments, the Directorate of Education recently made a concession in separate petitions challenging the new law's constitutional validity. The department extended the deadline for constituting School-level Fee Regulation Committees to January 20. This extension moved the deadline from the originally set date of January 10.
The court's intervention comes at a critical time when parent representation in school fee regulation has gained legal importance. The absence of properly constituted PTAs could potentially affect the implementation of the new fee regulation framework across Delhi's private schools.
