Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s government has given major relief to more than 32 lakh students and their families in Punjab. The Punjab government 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 fees including transport and building fees as part of tuition fees, and provides for stringent punishments, including de-recognition, for violations of rules.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann He 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 collecting extra fees from students, then it will have to return the extra amount collected to the parents.
Previous governments made mistakes
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 ascertain the actual fees collected by these institutions through any means. To completely put a ban on 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’.”
Annual fee increase limit is 5 percent
Throwing light on the main provisions of the ordinance, Chief Minister Bhagwant 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 that private schools which have increased their fees by more than 15 percent overall during the last three years will have to return the extra amount collected from parents. While this decision will control 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 for commercial gains. He said, “Education is a noble and sacred task. It is a means of public welfare and not a commercial enterprise to be 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, “This ordinance ensures complete transparency in the functioning of private educational institutions as well as provides strong protection to students and their families against arbitrary increase in fees. Due to the concerted efforts of our government, Punjab has overtaken Kerala in the education sector.”
Strict penalties included in the ordinance
Explaining the process of implementing this rule, the Chief Minister said that strict 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. For the third violation, the recognition of the school will be canceled along with more stringent action to protect the interests of the students.”
He further clarified that every amount collected from parents will be considered as part of fees for the purpose of regulation. He further said, “Any money collected from parents, irrespective of its description, 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.
Fees include all charges
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.
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