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.