The Punjab government on Wednesday paved the way for rationalisation of fees in private schools with the cabinet giving its nod to the Punjab State Regulation of Fee of Unaided Educational Institutions Rules, 2017.The Rules would cap the annual fee hike by private schools at 8% of the previous year's fee, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal later told mediapersons. All other funds charged by the schools would also be covered by these Rules, he added.The move is aimed at curbing the excessive fees being charged from students in private schools across the state, an official spokesperson said after a meeting here of the Council of Ministers, chaired by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.The spokesperson pointed out that the Punjab Regulation of Fee of Unaided Educational Institutions Act, 2016 had already been enacted in compliance with the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. In another step to streamline the education system in the state and raise the standards of education at par with global benchmarks of quality, the cabinet also decided to appoint a person of national eminence in the field of Industry, Technology or Technical Education as Chairman of the Board of Governors of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University, Bathinda.It was also decided to similarly appoint the Chairman of the Board of Governors of IK Gujral Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar, from among persons of national repute in the aforesaid fields.Infusion of professional blood in the management of these universities would contribute significantly to raising their quality bar and better equip the students to take on global competition.