Punjab CM tackles 'school mafia', caps fee hikes to 5% annually, refund orders issued

The Punjab Government has decided to cap the increase in school fees, including tuition fees, multimedia fees, and transportation fees, at five per cent per annum.

All schools that have increased their fees by over five per cent in the past three years (five percent each year) will now have to refund the increased fee if it is above the five percent hike allowed by the state government.

This was revealed by the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann here today.

Moved by the plight of the Amritsar girl who died by suicide after severe harassment by the school management over unpaid fees, Mann said that he was deeply moved by the plight of the girl, who has been “sacrificed at the altar of school mafia”.

“I have thus decided to take on this mafia. The government will amend the Punjab Regulation of Fees of Unaided Educational Institutions Act, which will cap the fees. If the schools fail to comply with this order, they will be charged a heavy fine. If they default the second time, the fine will be doubled, and a third default on this new law will lead to the cancellation of their affiliation,” he said, adding that legally, schools cannot withhold the examination card, no-dues certificate, or degree of students over unpaid fees.

The new law will be applicable not only to schools affiliated with the Punjab School Education Board but to all schools that are functional in Punjab, irrespective of the board they are affiliated to.

The amended act will soon be brought before the Vidhan Sabha and enacted, said Mann.

He added that schools also cannot force parents to buy books, stationery, and uniforms from a particular shop but will have to provide a list of stores where these items will be available for students, who can then decide where they want to buy the stationery/uniform from.