Punjab caps annual fee hike for private schools at 5%

The Punjab government on Monday (June 22, 2026) approved an ordinance that would set a ceiling of five per cent on annual fee hike by private unaided schools across the state.

The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. According to a statement issued by the chief minister’s office, “In order to regulate unnecessary and unreasonable fee hikes by private unaided schools, the Punjab Cabinet headed by CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has given its nod to introduce the Punjab Unaided Educational Institutions Fees (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026.”

The ordinance was brought by amending the Punjab Unaided Educational Institutions Fees Act, 2016. The aim of the move is to have effective control over fee hikes, provide protection to students and parents against arbitrary fee hikes, ensure transparency and accountability in the fee structure and protect the interests of students and parents.

The changes aim to bring greater clarity to the definitions of fees, fee increases and cumulative fee increases, cap 5% annual fee increases by unaided schools and ensure prior regulatory approval for any fee increase above five percent, he added.

The cabinet also agreed to amend the 2019 guidelines for disbursement of capital grants and investment incentives under the state industrial policy to promote industrial development. “Under the revised framework, capital subsidy will be released to industrial units that become eligible after omitting paras 1.1 and 1.2 of the guidelines, subject to verification of required documents and fulfillment of prescribed conditions,” the statement said.

Published – 23 Jun 2026 02:48 IST