Can Stricter Fee Regulations Restore Parents' Trust?
- July 16, 2026, 11:24 a.m.
The Punjab Government has determined to cut annual fee hikes in private schools to 5 per cent, led by the Aam Aadmi Party. CM Bhagwant Mann mentioned that any private school that raised its fees by more than 15% over the past 3 years must give back the excess amount received from parents, declaring the conclusion in Chandigarh.
The state government will launch a bill in the next assembly session to enforce what Mann depicted as one of the nation's strictest laws determining school fee increases. The 5 per cent cut will apply to tuition fees and other charges, and agencies will take rigid action against schools that violate the new rules. Mann said that Capt Amarinder Singh, who led the previous Congress government, had granted private schools’ permission to increase fees without enough supervision.
The proclamation follows the 17-year-old student’s death in Amritsar, who allegedly confronted fee- related pressure and mental harassment from her school. The Class 11 student, who stayed with her maternal aunt, consumed a poisonous substance on 22.5.2026 and passed away on 30.5.2026 after fighting for her life for 8 days.
Her dad filed a complaint charging the school's teacher and the principal with humiliating and mentally harassing his daughter in front of other children following her death. He alleged that the school deducted her Grade 11 results despite her qualification for Grade 12 promotion and repeatedly pushed her to execute personal and office tasks against her will. The student took a video saying pressure and harassment over fee payments before taking the extreme step.
Harjot Singh Bains, Punjab Education Minister, said the government was managing the incident and affirmed that the police had registered a case for instigation to suicide and ensured that rigorous action would be taken against those who committed the action.
The police booked the teacher and the principal under Sections 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 3(5) (common intention) and 108 (abetment to suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita based on the complaint. Harjinder Singh, Assistant Sub-Inspector and Investigating Officer, mentioned that both accused are running off, and the police have established a search operation to arrest them.
