Punjab Govt Orders Investigation Against 720 Private Schools Over Fee Hike

Punjab's Aam Aadmi Party-led government ordered an investigation into 720 private schools for allegedly boosting fees against government orders on April 24, and the probe was executed after the schools violated the alleged order passed by the state government not to raise the fees, a contrasting action against the government orders.

Statement By Education Minister

State Education Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer stated this on Twitter on Saturday (April 23). The minister declared that 720 private schools would be investigated after the government received complaints of parental looting. He further stated in the tweet that if a school is witnessed to be guilty, stern action would be taken against them.

The education minister tweeted, "Inquiry has been ordered against 720 private schools against whom parents lodged complaints. Strict action will be taken if found guilty."

720 ਨਿਜੀ ਸਕੂਲ ਜਿੰਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਖਿਲਾਫ ਮਾਪਿਆਂ ਦੀ ਲੁੱਟ ਦੀਆਂ ਸ਼ਕਾਇਤਾਂ ਮਿਲੀਆਂ ਸਨ, ਜਾਂਚ ਦੇ ਹੁਕਮ ਕੀਤੇ ਗਏ ਹਨ ।
ਦੋਸ਼ੀ ਪਾਏ ਜਾਣ 'ਤੇ ਸਖਤ ਕਾਰਵਾਈ ਕੀਤੀ ਜਾਵੇਗੀ । pic.twitter.com/vtWPbRGe1E

— Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer (@meet_hayer) April 23, 2022

Passed Government Order For Education

The Punjab government recently issued an order prohibiting state private schools from raising fees for the current semester. On March 30, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann made two critical decisions concerning the education sector in the state. One of them is that private schools cannot raise tuition this semester.

The second judgement is that no private school will be authorised to provide the address of a stationery shop where students may purchase any of the curriculum books and stationery from now on. It will now be up to parents to choose which store their children will visit, reported Financial Express.

Malvinder Singh Kang, the Punjab unit spokesman for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), told the media that the Mann-led administration was dedicated to providing excellent and affordable primary education in the state. He went on to say that the education minister had initiated an investigation after parents complained that private schools were not following official instructions on fees, book purchases, and clothing. Kang stated that if any school is found guilty during the investigation, it will face severe consequences, as reported by Hindustan Times.

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