3 min readChandigarhJun 5, 2026 03:00 PM IST
First published on: Jun 5, 2026 at 03:00 PM IST
Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains Thursday wrote to the School Education Department secretary, directing that the legislation to regulate private school fees and enforce transparency and accountability be drafted immediately.
The move came less than 24 hours after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced that “the country’s toughest law against arbitrary fee hikes by private schools” will be introduced in the next Assembly session. The proposed legislation will cap annual fee hike at 5 per cent and require schools that have increased fees beyond the prescribed 15 per cent threshold over the last three years to refund the excess amount collected from parents.
“Providing accessible and affordable education is the topmost priority of our government. 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,” Bains said.
The minister said the decision has been taken under the Mann’s leadership to curb profiteering in the education sector and ensure that private schools function in the interest of students and parents rather than commercial gain.
“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,” Bains said.
The matter is being accorded top priority and the department has been directed to prepare a comprehensive proposal for Cabinet consideration at the earliest, he added.
He said, the state government said it believes that education should remain accessible and affordable for every child and that parents should not be burdened by unjustified fee increases.
He alleged that the then Congress government in 2019 brought in provisions that gave private schools “a free hand to increase fees”. “Schools were allowed to revise fee structures after merely disclosing the revised fees on notice boards and websites, with little effective regulatory oversight. This opened the door to arbitrary fee hikes and imposed an increasing financial burden on parents across Punjab,” he said. The new legislation aims to end this system, ensure greater accountability in private schools and protect students and parents from excessive fee increases, he added.
The proposed legislation will cap annual fee hike at 5 per cent and require schools that have increased fees beyond the prescribed 15 per cent threshold. 
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