Gujarat tightens school norms, raises penalties for violations
Gandhinagar: The Gujarat assembly on Thursday passed the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Amendment Bill, 2026, proposing tighter regulation of schools, sharply higher penalties for violations and a statutory framework for appointing special educators for children with disabilities and special needs.
The amendments seek to clearly distinguish between grant-in-aid and fully private, non-granted schools, while empowering the govt to prescribe qualifications and recruitment-related provisions for their staff. The legislation also makes implementation of the state’s prevailing reservation policy mandatory in staff recruitment.
A key provision in the bill is the steep increase in penalties for school managements violating norms. Illegal appointment of principals or teachers in aided schools, earlier punishable by a fine of Rs 1,000, can now attract a penalty of up to Rs 10 lakh.
The bill also provides for imprisonment of one to two years, a fine of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh, or both, for running a secondary or higher secondary school without registration with the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board.
Managements shutting a registered school during an academic session without giving the mandatory notice to the board will now face a penalty of Rs 20 lakh, against the earlier fine of Rs 1,000.
The amendments also expand representation of teachers, non-teaching staff and parent associations in the board’s elected membership and strengthen provisions for inclusive education, including special educators.
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