Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains has directed the School Education Department to immediately draft a law aimed at regulating private school fees, less than 24 hours after Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann announced major reforms to curb arbitrary fee hikes.
The proposed legislation is designed to bring transparency and accountability to private schools while providing relief to more than 3.2 million students and their families across the state. Officials have been instructed to expedite the drafting process so that the government's decision can be given legal backing at the earliest.
Under the proposed law, private schools will not be allowed to increase fees by more than 5 percent annually. In addition, schools that have raised fees beyond the prescribed 15 percent limit over the past three years may be required to refund the excess amount collected from parents.
The Punjab government has described the move as a significant step toward preventing profiteering in the education sector and ensuring that educational institutions prioritize the interests of students and parents over commercial gains.
Speaking on the initiative, Harjot Singh Bains said that accessible and affordable education remains one of the government's top priorities. He emphasized that students and parents deserve strong protection against arbitrary fee hikes and complete transparency in the functioning of private schools.
According to the state government, nearly 7,800 private schools currently operate in Punjab, educating more than 3.2 million students. The proposed legislation is expected to establish a stronger regulatory framework for fee structures and enhance accountability across the private education sector.
The move is likely to be welcomed by parents' associations and education activists, who have long demanded stricter oversight of private school fee policies in the state.
