Punjab Cabinet takes decisions to strength education, public service delivery
Chandigarh, Aug 5
The Punjab Cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, on Wednesday took decisions aimed at strengthening education, improving governance and public service delivery, and promoting inclusive development across the state.
The Cabinet passed the Punjab Regulation of Fee of Unaided Educational Institutions (Amendment) Bill, 2026, to regulate unnecessary and unreasonable fee hikes by private unaided educational institutions, besides approving the Punjab State Outsourced Personnel Transition to Contractual Engagement Bill, 2026, establishment of three new Digital Open Universities, and several other policy initiatives.
On the decisions, the Chief Minister's Office said the Cabinet gave nod to bring the Punjab Regulation of Fee of Unaided Educational Institutions (Amendment) Bill for regulation of unnecessary and unreasonable increase in fee by private unaided educational institutions.
The Bill has been necessitated as some unaided private educational institutions were arbitrarily and unreasonably increasing their annual fees, which was imposing unnecessary financial burden on students and their parents.
So, a need has been felt to amend the Punjab Regulation of Fee of Unaided Educational Institutions Act, 2016, the Punjab Regulation of Fee of Unaided Educational Institutions Amendment Act, 2019, and the Rules framed under the Act to check unjustified fee hikes by private unaided schools.
The Cabinet also gave approval to place the Punjab State Outsourced Personnel Transition to Contractual Engagement Bill of 2026 for the transition of eligible outsourced personnel into direct contractual engagement after a qualifying five years of continuous service, or three years in the case of personnel deployed in the enumerated hazardous categories under Section 2(1).
The remuneration of contractual appointees will be determined by the Department of Finance and will not be lower than the minimum rate of wages fixed under the Code on Wages, 2019, or any other law relating to minimum wages for the time being in force. The Bill repeals the Punjab Ad Hoc, Contractual, Daily Wage, Temporary, Work Charged and Outsourced Employees' Welfare Act, 2016, from the date of its enactment.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Interesting move by the Punjab government. The transition of outsourced personnel to contractual engagement after 5 years is a step towards job security, but I wonder how this will be implemented on the ground. Will the Finance Department ensure fair wages as promised?
As a teacher in a private unaided school, I welcome this move. Many schools exploit parents with hidden charges and arbitrary hikes. But I also hope the government doesn't go overboard and hurt the autonomy of genuine institutions that maintain good standards. Balance is key!
Three new Digital Open Universities? That's ambitious! Punjab needs more accessible education options, especially for rural students who can't relocate to cities. Bhagwant Mann government seems to be thinking ahead on this one. Let's see how these universities are actually set up.
The outsourced personnel bill is a long-overdue reform. For years, these workers have been denied basic benefits despite doing the same work as regular employees. The 5-year qualifying period seems reasonable, though I hope the hazardous category provision is broad enough to cover all risky jobs.
Main concern: will the fee regulation bill actually be enforced? We have similar laws in other states that remain on paper. The Punjab government needs to set up a proper monitoring mechanism, otherwise private schools will find loopholes. Also, what about the digital divide for these new online universities? Not everyone has good internet in villages. 📡
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