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.
