Fee Hike By Private Schools To Be Capped At 5% A Year: Punjab CM
Bhagwant Mann says a law in this regard will be introduced during next Assembly session; adds that it will apply to all kinds of fees.
Published : June 3, 2026 at 7:42 PM IST
Chandigarh: Taking strict note of arbitrary fee hikes by private schools, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said fee hike by private schools will be capped at 5 per cent a year.
Addressing a press conference here, Mann said that a law in this regard will now be introduced during the next Assembly session. The Chief Minister clarified that it will apply to all kinds of fees, not just tuition.
In a post on X, CM Mann wrote, "After the tragic incident in Amritsar, in the last 24 hours I have received hundreds of calls from parents about arbitrary increase in fees by private schools. Seeing the future of the children and this inconvenience to the parents, 'your government' has taken a very tough and important decision. Now no private school in Punjab will be able to increase fees by more than 5 per cent annually.”
He said schools that raised fees by over 15 per cent in the past three years must refund the fee component charged above the 15 per cent increase.
"Along with this, schools which have increased fees by more than 15% in the last 3 years will have to refund that excess amount to the parents immediately. We are soon bringing an ordinance to implement this decision permanently. This 5% limit will not only include tuition fees but also all other mandatory funds taken by the schools. This will be the strictest rule in the entire country, and no school will get any exemption from it. Loot happening in the name of education in Punjab will not be tolerated at all now," he said.
Asserting that no action that will adversely affect the future of children will be tolerated, Mann said the Punjab government is going to make a law for private schools as well as colleges in which the roll number or certificate of a child, etc., will not be withheld due to non-payment of fees. “Apart from these, various rules will be implemented, for which strict legal action will be taken against schools or colleges violating them," he added.
Commenting on the suicide of a 17-year-old student in Amritsar, Mann said that a bright student became a victim of the "school mafia". "The school pressured the student to charge arbitrary fees and harassed her. The student was forced to take her own life. We will not allow private schools to function arbitrarily,” he said.
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