*mp Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal Raises Issue Of Arbitrary Fee Increase By Private Schools In Parliament*

Phagwara, July 28: Member Parliament Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal has raised the concerns in the Lok Sabha over the issue of arbitrary and exorbitant fee increases by private schools urging the Union Education Minister for constituting fee regulatory committees to strengthen existing mechanism for approval of fee hike across the country.

Referring to the query of Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal, the Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary clarified that the education is a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution. He pointed out that schools other than those established, owned, or controlled by the Central Government fall under the jurisdiction of the respective State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. He replied that the matters relating to the regulation of school fees are governed by the rules and mechanisms prescribed by the respective States/UTs.

The Union Minister also said that the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 ensures free and compulsory elementary education for children aged 6–14 years. Under Section 12(1)(c), private unaided schools are required to reserve at least 25% of entry-level seats for children from weaker sections and disadvantaged groups, while Section 13 prohibits the collection of capitation fees.

In a statement, Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal commended that the Punjab Government had already brought an ordinance in larger interest of lakhs of students in the state by binding the private schools not to enhance fees more than 5% annually. He said that the Union Government had made it clear that the fee regulation is under the ambit of the state government which endorsed the decision of state government. He said that the Punjab government is fully committed to protect the rights of students as well as their parents by imparting quality education besides facilitating them. He also mentioned that a recent report by NITI Aayog ranked Punjab first in school education in India, surpassing Kerala and other key states. He attributed this achievement to the state government's comprehensive infrastructure revamp, the introduction of smart classrooms, and specialized overseas training for teachers. Describing the feat as a milestone for Punjab's education sector, Dr. Chabbewal said the top ranking reflected the state government's sustained efforts to improve the quality of education in government schools.