Punjab Governor approves ordinance capping private school fee hikes at 5%: CM Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann alleged that many private schools had been imposing arbitrary and unjustified charges under different heads and said the ordinance clearly defines what constitutes a fee.

In Short

• Private unaided schools must submit fee structure details for previous four years
• Schools charging over 15% extra during the period will refund parents
• Around 7,800 schools will be examined under the new regulatory framework

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday announced that Governor Gulab Chand Kataria has approved the state government's ordinance capping annual fee hikes by private unaided schools at 5 per cent, with the new rules coming into effect immediately.

Addressing a press conference, Mann said the ordinance, titled 'The Punjab Regulation of Fee of Unaided Educational Institutions (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026', was cleared by the Governor after being approved by the state Cabinet last month.

"This comes into force from today," Mann said, adding that the government had taken a major step to regulate private school fees and end what he described as the "arm-twisting" of parents by schools.

The Chief Minister alleged that many private schools had been imposing arbitrary and unjustified charges under different heads and said the ordinance clearly defines what constitutes a fee.

SCHOOLS MUST REFUND EXCESS FEE HIKE

Mann said all private schools would now be required to furnish details of their fee structure over the past four years.

He claimed that schools which increased fees by more than 15 per cent during this period would be required to refund the excess amount collected from parents.

Around 7,800 private schools across Punjab would come under scrutiny, and nearly 32 lakh parents were expected to benefit from the new regulations, he said.

The Chief Minister also warned of strict action against schools violating the provisions of the ordinance.

He said a first violation would attract Rs 50,000 in penalty, followed by a Rs 1 lakh fine for a second offence. Repeated violations could lead to the cancellation of the school's licence, he added.

ORDINANCE APPROVED IN JUNE

The Punjab Cabinet had approved the ordinance in June after the government announced its decision to cap annual fee hikes at **5 per cent**.

The move came amid growing complaints from parents over steep fee increases and followed the death of a **17-year-old student in Amritsar**, who allegedly died by suicide after facing harassment by her school over pending fees.

The ordinance amends the 'Punjab Regulation of Fee of Unaided Educational Institutions Act, 2016', and aims to regulate arbitrary fee hikes, bring greater transparency to fee structures, and protect the interests of students and parents.

It also mandates prior approval from the regulatory authority for any fee increase beyond the prescribed 5 per cent annual cap.

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