Children from economically weak backgrounds studying in Budget Private Schools are not getting access to better infrastructure or methods of teaching. These small-scale schools account for 85% of student enrollment in India’s most populated states. 

Unfortunately, since budget private schools are legally considered under the same category as regular private schools, they are forced to operate within stringent State laws (Chapter IV, Section 10 - Delhi School Education Act, 1973) that asks them to match the pay scale of Govt school teachers, who are at double the cost. This provision keeps out well intentioned edupreneurs from the K12 market because budget private schools have to operate on small margins and cannot afford these costs. For context, 45% of students pay less than Rs 500/month in fees, and collection of fees is a question mark as students are unable to pay owing to their economically challenging backgrounds.

This URGENT petition asks that we recognize the budget private schools as a separate category of schools under the Delhi state laws because of the following reasons: -

● Gaining exemption from the provision under Delhi Education Act 1973 will allow the Budget Private Schools in Delhi to be free from operational constraints and reduce their financial burden.

● This will further allow them to focus and invest in infrastructure/ innovate their offerings for their students.

[Teachers salary in private unaided (PUA) schools as a percentage of teacher salary in government, and aided schools, various years]