Punjab News: The government has taken a big step towards stopping arbitrary fee collection by private schools in Punjab. The Punjab Assembly unanimously passed the 'Punjab Regulation of Fees of Un-Aided Educational Institutions (Amendment) Bill, 2026' on August 10. The government says that this law will provide relief to students and parents from increasing and unclear fee collection. More than 32 lakh students are studying in about 7,800 private schools in the state.
Fees will not increase by more than 5 percent in the new session
According to the new provision, private schools will not be able to increase fees by more than 5 percent in the new academic session. If any school wants to increase fees more than this, it will have to first take permission from the concerned regulatory body.
The government has also made it clear that money taken from parents through any medium or in the name of any item will be considered as fee and that fee will come under the purview of regulation. Transportation, building fund and other miscellaneous charges will also be considered as part of tuition fees for the purpose of regulation.
Additional fees for three years will also have to be returned
Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said that private schools which have increased fees by more than 15 percent in the last three years will have to return the extra amount collected from parents. For this, forensic audit of private schools will be conducted. Its objective is to find out how much extra amount has been collected by the schools through different means and to return it to the parents.
The Chief Minister said that the government will not allow education to become a business and the education mafia will not be allowed to flourish. Giving the example of the Covid period, he said that despite schools and vehicles being closed, transport fees were taken from parents. Now such arrangement will not be allowed.
Fine and recognition canceled for breaking rules
The new law has a provision for strict action against schools that violate the rules. A fine of Rs 50,000 will be imposed for breaking the rules for the first time. There will be a fine of Rs 1 lakh for second violation. If the rules are broken for the third time, the recognition of the school can be canceled and other strict action will also be taken.
A 'District Regulatory Committee' will work under the leadership of the Deputy Commissioner to investigate and regulate the proposals related to fee increase.
Financial burden on parents will be reduced
According to the government, the direct objective of this law is to protect students and their families from undue financial burden. The Chief Minister said that every paisa given by the parents will be considered as fees and the extra recovery will be calculated in a transparent manner.
The Chief Minister said that the objective of education is not to earn profits but to provide quality education to the students. Referring to the changes in the education system in the state, he said that 882 students of Punjab achieved success in the NEET examination of 2026, whereas in 2021 this number was 80. The government says that ensuring students' access to quality education along with fee regulation is its main priority.