Chandigarh, June 5: The Punjab government has initiated the immediate drafting of a new law to strictly regulate private school fee structures, following a state directive to curb commercialisation in the education sector. School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains instructed the department’s secretary Thursday to fast-track the legislation, acting less than 24 hours after an announcement by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.
The upcoming legal framework is designed to safeguard more than 32 lakh students and their families from arbitrary financial pressures by establishing strict regulatory parameters. Under the proposed statute, private educational institutions will face a mandatory annual fee hike ceiling of 5%.
“Providing accessible and affordable education is the topmost priority of our government,” Bains stated in the administrative order. “More than 32 lakh students are currently enrolled in nearly 7,800 private schools across Punjab. These students and their families deserve robust protection and safeguards against arbitrary fee increases, alongside complete transparency in how these institutions operate.”
The proposed legislation includes a retrospective clause aimed at providing financial relief to parents. Any private school that has cumulatively raised its fees beyond a 15% threshold over the past three consecutive years will be legally required to refund the excess collections.
Bains noted that the initiative aligns with legal precedents established by the judiciary regarding institutional accountability.
“The Chief Minister has decided that the ongoing profiteering by private schools must be firmly curbed,” the minister declared. “Education is a noble and sacred endeavour; it is a public good, not a commercial enterprise to be exploited for profit. This principle has been explicitly reinforced by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, which has repeatedly ruled that while private institutions have the right to reasonable fee structures, commercialisation and profiteering in education are strictly impermissible.”
According to state officials, the new framework seeks to replace past regulatory loopholes. Bains pointed out that statutory provisions introduced in 2019 under the previous Congress administration effectively granted private schools unchecked authority to alter fee structures simply by posting revisions on notice boards and websites, leaving families without adequate institutional protection.
The Education Department is currently preparing the comprehensive legislative proposal for swift consideration by the state cabinet.
