Relief for Students: State Government Committee to Regulate Fees in Private Colleges

Governor Approves ‘Jharkhand Professional Educational Institutions (Fee Regulation) Bill, 2025’ — Arbitrary Fee Hikes to Be Curbed

Ranchi: Higher education in Jharkhand — especially in engineering, medical, and management courses — is set to become more affordable and transparent. Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar has approved the ‘Jharkhand Professional Educational Institutions (Fee Regulation) Bill, 2025’, which aims to regulate the fees charged by private professional colleges. The law will come into effect once it is notified in the official gazette.

The bill was passed by voice vote during the supplementary monsoon session of the state assembly on August 25. Once implemented, private professional colleges in the state will no longer be able to arbitrarily hike their fees. The responsibility for determining the fee structure will now rest with a Fee Regulation Committee, which will fix the maximum fee each institution can charge for a specific course.

While presenting the bill in the assembly, Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar said the move is in the best interest of both students and parents. “The process will bring transparency in fee determination and prevent institutions from exploiting students,” he said.

The Fee Regulation Committee will be chaired by a person appointed on the recommendation of the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court. It will also include a Vice-Chancellor of a university, a Chartered Accountant, and subject experts from different disciplines. Before finalizing any decision, the committee will seek detailed information from institutions regarding their expenditure, facilities, and infrastructure.

The Supreme Court has already directed all states to enact laws to regulate fees in private professional institutions. States like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh have already implemented similar systems. Jharkhand now joins the list, ready to put this law into action.

According to the state government, the new law will help end “exploitation in the name of education” and provide much-needed relief to students and parents.