Overview
- The Vidhan Sabha unanimously passed the amendment on Monday to the 2016 fee‑regulation law, formally limiting annual fee increases by unaided private schools to 5 percent.
- The bill defines ‘fee’ to include tuition, development, transport and other parent charges, and requires schools to refund parents when cumulative hikes exceed 15 percent over three years.
- The state says the measure covers about 7,800 private schools and roughly 32 lakh students and creates district regulatory committees, headed by Deputy Commissioners, to vet fee proposals.
- Enforcement tools include mandatory forensic audits to identify excess collections and graded penalties of ₹50,000 for a first offence, ₹1 lakh for a second and cancellation of affiliation for a third.
- The amendment was passed alongside three digital‑university bills, prompting opposition protests and legal questions over retrospective recoveries that are likely to produce court challenges and implementation disputes.