Punjab education minister Harjot Singh Bains directs officials to draft legislation to regulate private school fees

Chandigarh: A day after chief minister Bhagwant Mann announced measures to curb arbitrary fee hikes by private schools, Punjab school education minister Harjot Singh Bains has directed officials to immediately draft legislation aimed at regulating school fees and protecting over 27 lakh students and their families from undue financial burden.Bains said, "The department has been directed to prepare a comprehensive proposal for cabinet consideration at the earliest."The proposed legislation aims to check profiteering in the education sector by limiting annual fee hikes to 5% and requiring schools to refund excess amounts collected after increasing fees beyond the prescribed 15% cap over the last three years.In the order, Bains stated, "Providing accessible and affordable education is the topmost priority of our govt. Over 27 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."Curbing profiteering by private schools is a priority of the CM, the minister said, adding that education is a noble public good, not a commercial enterprise, and that the Supreme Court of India has repeatedly ruled against the commercialisation of education while permitting only reasonable fee structures.The minister said that the proposed ordinance seeks to undo provisions introduced by the Congress govt in 2019 that allowed private schools to raise fees beyond the earlier 8% annual limit. While schools were required to disclose such hikes on notice boards and websites, these rules were rarely enforced, enabling many institutions to increase fees without effective oversight, he said, adding that the new legislation aims to fix these loopholes, strengthen regulation and protect families from excessive fee increases.MSID:: 131506294 413 |