Authority to regulate private schools in Punjab

A regulatory authority for schools which would check overcharging of fees will soon be set up, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said today.
"The state government shall soon set up a regulatory authority for private schools to put in place a transparent mechanism for ensuring uniform pattern of fee structure and other admissible charges," Badal said here on the sidelines of his Sangat Darshan programme in Nawanshahr Assembly Constituency.
The Chief Minister said the initiative has been taken following several complaints from parents against erring private schools, which were "indulging in malpractices of overcharging of fee and imposing other charges arbitrarily".

He hoped this step would not only regulate fee structure but also save students from exploitation at the hands of private school managements.
Badal also reacted to media reports that Punjabi language was allegedly being "discontinued" in government-run schools in Delhi by the AAP government, terming the step as "most unfortunate and anti-Punjabi".
However, the Delhi Government had earlier this week clarified that "no change has been made regarding the languages for the current academic session, and all such reports are baseless, false and made with an intention to spread unnecessary confusion in the minds of parents and students."

Badal also said top priority was being accorded to filling up vacancies in education and health departments so as to provide the best facilities in this regard to the people of the state.

He said detailed instructions had already been issued to the education department to fill in advance posts of teachers, which were likely to fall vacant on their superannuation.
He rejected criticism of his Sangat Darshan programme, in which he interacts directly with people, saying it offers a healthy platform to resolve their grievances on the spot.