Ludhiana: 104 private schools in Ludhiana miss fee disclosure deadline

Across Punjab, 7,779 private schools are covered under the exercise, with most institutions already submitting the required details

Despite repeated reminders and extensions from the education department, 104 private schools in Ludhiana are yet to submit their mandatory fee disclosure forms under the Punjab Regulation of Fee of Unaided Educational Institutions (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026. Official data shows that only 91.49% of the district’s 1,222 private schools have complied so far, falling short of the state average of 94.99%.

An additional penalty of ₹10,000 per day can also be imposed if the violation continues beyond 30 days. (HT File)

Across Punjab, 7,779 private schools are covered under the exercise, with most institutions already submitting the required details. Earlier, the office of the deputy commissioner issued a final reminder extending the submission deadline to August 3 after the original deadline of July 25.

The Punjab cabinet had approved the ordinance on June 23, capping the annual fee hike in unaided schools at 5%. Following this, the education department directed all private schools to upload details of their fee structure for the last four academic sessions, beginning from 2023-24. Schools were asked to disclose tuition fees, examination fees, transport charges and all other fee components to enable authorities to examine compliance with the new regulations.

According to the department’s communication, failure to submit the fee disclosure forms is considered a serious lapse. It stated that timely submission is a statutory obligation under the ordinance and is essential for district fee regulation committees to scrutinise fee structures, verify compliance with the prescribed cumulative fee hike limit and determine whether any refund is due to students.

The ordinance also prescribes penalties for non-compliance. Schools can face fines of ₹50,000 at the primary level, ₹1 lakh at the middle level and ₹2 lakh for secondary and senior secondary schools. An additional penalty of ₹10,000 per day can also be imposed if the violation continues beyond 30 days.

Deputy district education officer (secondary) Amandeep Singh said no fresh instructions had been issued regarding another extension. “All schools were sent reminders, but no warning notices have been issued so far,” he said.

Assistant director, directorate of school education, Amandeep Kaur, said the department is consolidating the data received from districts. “Nearly 95% of schools have submitted the details. We are verifying the remaining cases with districts, as some schools have been closed and that also needs to be confirmed,” she said.