<p>The bench asked the city government to state the steps taken by it to ensure that every school has such an association.</p> — The bench asked the city government to state the steps taken by it to ensure that every school has such an association.

The Delhi High Court directed the city government on Wednesday to act and ensure the formation and functioning of parent-teacher associations (PTAs) in private schools.

A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued a notice on a PIL filed by NGO Justice for All and sought a response from the Delhi government.

The bench asked the city government to state the steps taken by it to ensure that every school has such an association.

The petitioner has submitted that there is a widespread and systemic failure of recognised unaided private schools in Delhi in constituting PTAs in terms of the Delhi School Education Act and the related rules and guidelines.

“Issue notice. Let affidavit-in-reply be filed in four weeks,” the bench said.

“Respondent shall bring on record the steps taken by the Directorate of Education (DoE) to ensure that every school has a duly-constituted PTA in place. We also direct that in the meantime, action shall be taken to ensure the formation and functioning of such associations in all schools,” it ordered.

In its petition, the NGO has said the PTA is a statutory body that intends to foster cooperation between parents and teachers and act as a crucial component of the school’s governance and accountability framework.

“The significance of the PTA has been further amplified by the enactment of the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025, which confers upon the PTA the statutory power to file appeals against arbitrary and illegal fee hikes by school management, thereby acting as a bulwark against the commercialisation of education,” the plea has submitted.

“Despite the clear statutory mandate, a vast majority of private schools have deliberately flouted the law by either not constituting a PTA at all or by creating sham PTAs with hand-picked members, thereby rendering the body toothless and defeating the very purpose of its existence. This has created a situation where parents are left without a legitimate forum to voice their concerns and are deprived of their statutory right to challenge exorbitant fee increases,” it has added.

The petitioner has prayed for directions to authorities to ensure strict and time-bound compliance of the provisions of the Delhi School Education Act regarding the constitution of the PTAs.

It has also prayed for directions to authorities to create a robust, independent monitoring mechanism, including the appointment of observers and a provision for videography, to oversee the conduct of free-and-fair PTA elections in all schools within a timeframe. PTI