Chandigarh, June 4
The Punjab government has begun drafting legislation to regulate private school fees, less than a day after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced major reforms to curb arbitrary fee increases. The officials have been directed to prepare a legal framework that would limit annual fee hikes in private schools to 5 percent, while introducing stricter transparency and accountability measures across the sector, said School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Thursday.
Bains said that under the proposed law, schools that have raised fees by more than 15 percent over the past three years could be required to refund the excess amount collected from parents. The move is designed to protect families from what it describes as unjustified financial pressure and to ensure that education remains affordable, he added.
Punjab has more than 32 lakh students enrolled in nearly 7,800 private schools. Bains said safeguarding their interests was a priority for the state government.
The minister said the proposed legislation reflects the government’s view that education should be treated as a public service rather than a profit-making business. He added that the state intends to establish a transparent regulatory framework that prevents excessive fee increases while ensuring accountability among private institutions.
The government has also criticised previous policies introduced by the Congress administration in 2019, alleging that they allowed private schools greater freedom to revise fees with limited oversight. The new legislation, it says, aims to strengthen regulation and provide greater protection for students and parents.
The draft proposal is expected to be placed before the state cabinet for consideration in the coming weeks.
