Tamil Nadu to cap private school charges, fee determination bill to be passed in Assembly today

The Tamil Nadu government is set to introduce a cap on fees charged by private schools, with the State Assembly scheduled to pass the Tamil Nadu Schools (Regulation of Collection of Fee) Amendment Act, 2026 later today.

As per an India Today report, under the proposed law, a seven-member committee headed by a retired High Court judge will be constituted to determine the maximum fees that private schools can charge. The fee structure fixed by the committee will be binding on all private schools in the state and will remain valid for three academic years.

The move is aimed at ensuring that school fees are reasonable and non-exploitative, offering relief to parents who have long complained about steep and arbitrary fee hikes by many private institutions.

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In preparation for the amendment, the School Education Department recently revised the Tamil Nadu Private Schools (Regulation) Rules, 2023, inserting a new sub-rule related to fee regulation. As per media reports, private schools seeking renewal of their certificate of recognition must now submit a copy of the fee determination order that is currently valid and in force.

The rules also specify that applications for renewal of recognition must be submitted at least three months before the expiry of the existing certificate or its renewal, as applicable. Schools are required to pay the prescribed renewal fee, which varies depending on whether the institution is a play school, nursery, primary, middle, high or higher secondary school.