Chandigarh, June 5 -- A day after chief minister Bhagwant Mann announced reforms to curb arbitrary fee hikes by private schools, the Punjab government on Thursday kick-started the process to draft the legislation. School education minister Harjot Singh Bains has written to the school education secretary, directing immediate drafting of legislation that will regulate private school fees, enforce transparency and accountability. The proposed legislation will cap annual fee hikes at 5% and require schools that have increased fees beyond the prescribed 15% threshold over the last three years to refund the excess amount collected from parents. In his order, the minister said providing accessible and affordable education was the topmost priority of the government. "More than 32 lakh students are currently enrolled in nearly 7,800 private schools across Punjab. These students and their families deserve robust protection and safeguards against arbitrary fee increases, alongside complete transparency in how these institutions operate," he said.HTC...