Punjab Orders Private Schools to Refund Excess Fees, Plans 5% Annual Fee Hike Cap

In a big move, the Punjab government has asked all  the private schools in the state to refund excess fees collected from students and their families. The government has also proposed a cap of 5% on annual fee increases, according to Arvind Kejriwal, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member.

Speaking on Friday, Kejriwal claimed that Punjab is now the first state in the country to take action against arbitrary fee hikes by private schools. The announcement comes after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann recently stated that the state government would introduce a new law aimed at regulating fee increases in private schools across the state.

According to Kejriwal, the proposed legislation will restrict private schools from increasing fees by more than 5 per cent in a year. The cap is expected to apply to all charges collected by schools, including tuition fees, library fees, development charges, and other related expenses.

This step aims to provide relief to parents who have raised concerns over rising education costs and unregulated fee hikes in private educational institutions. There has been a lot of debate regarding the school fees. However, this move apparently brings a little relief.

Kejriwal described the decision as a significant step towards ensuring greater transparency and accountability in the private school education system. He also noted that Punjab had recently secured the top position in school education rankings.

If implemented, the proposed law would establish a uniform framework for fee regulation and could impact thousands of private schools operating across Punjab.

Further details regarding the legislation and its implementation timeline are expected to be announced by the state government.