More than 32 lakh students studying in 7,800 private schools of Punjab will get big relief: Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann

Chandigarh: In a major relief to more than 32 lakh students and their families in the state, the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has brought the fees of private schools under a strict regulatory framework by issuing the ‘Punjab Regulation of Fees of Un-aided Educational Institutions (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026’. The ordinance caps annual fee increases at 5 percent, mandates fee refunds in cases where fees have increased by more than 15 percent in the last three years, considers all charges including transport and building fees as part of tuition fees, and provides for stringent punishments, including derecognition, for violations of rules.

Reiterating that education cannot be allowed to become a business, the Chief Minister said the regulatory committees headed by Deputy Commissioners will closely examine the fee hike, while all private schools have been directed to upload the record of fee hike in the last four years on the designated portal within the next 10 days.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann made a big claim     

During the press conference, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann wholeheartedly thanked the Governor for giving his approval to this ordinance brought by the state government and said that it has come into effect from today itself. "From today, every private educational institution will have to upload complete details of fees collected during the last four years on the portal within 10 days. He said that as soon as this period ends, if any institution is found involved in charging extra fees from students, then it will have to return the extra amount collected to the parents.

The Chief Minister said that previous governments had given freedom to private educational institutions to impose unnecessary fees on students and parents, which caused huge loss to the education system. Citing Supreme Court guidelines, he said that educational institutions cannot earn profits in the name of education by collecting fees through various accounts.

He said, "A forensic audit will be conducted to find out the actual fees collected by these institutions through any means. To completely ban arbitrary increase in fees by private un-aided schools, the Punjab government has notified the ‘Punjab Regulation of Fees of Un-aided Educational Institutions (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026’."

Highlighting the main provisions of the ordinance, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said that now the limit of annual fee increase has been fixed at 5 percent and for any increase beyond this limit, prior permission will have to be taken from the regulatory authority. He said private schools which have increased their fees by more than 15 per cent overall during the last three years will have to return the extra amount collected from parents. While this decision will regulate the fees of private schools, it will also save more than 32 lakh students and their families from undue financial burden by implementing transparency and accountability.

Terming the move as a historic reform, the Chief Minister said that it is a decisive step by the Punjab Government to stop profiteering in the education sector and ensure that private schools work in the interest of students and parents rather than commercial gains. He said, “Education is a noble and sacred work. It is an instrument of public welfare, not a commercial enterprise used for profit. Ensuring access to standard education for every student of Punjab is the foremost priority of our government."

The Chief Minister said that at present more than 32 lakh students are studying in about 7,800 private schools across Punjab and this ordinance has been specially prepared to protect the interests of those students. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said "The Ordinance ensures complete transparency in the functioning of private educational institutions as well as provides strong protection to students and their families against arbitrary fee hikes. Due to the sincere efforts of our government, Punjab has gone ahead of Kerala in the education sector."

Explaining the process of implementing this rule, the Chief Minister said that stringent penalties have been included to ensure complete compliance with the ordinance. "Any private school violating the rules of the ordinance will have to pay a fine of Rs 50,000 for the first violation and Rs 1 lakh for the second violation. In case of third violation, the affiliation of the school will be canceled along with more stringent action to protect the interests of the students."

He further clarified that every amount recovered from parents will be considered as part of fees for the purpose of regulation. he adds "Any money taken from parents, irrespective of its details, will be treated as fees and any additional fees collected by private schools during the last three years will have to be returned to the parents."

Reiterating his government’s commitment to reform the education sector, the Chief Minister said that the Punjab Government has already ended every unholy nexus running in the state and the education mafia will not be allowed to flourish at any cost. He said all fees charged from students, including transportation fees, building funds and other petty fees, will be considered part of tuition fees for regulatory purposes. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the Punjab government will never allow education to become a commercial enterprise. He further said that the District Regulatory Committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner will scrutinize and control all the proposals for fee increase.