In a move to regulate the mushrooming coaching industry in the state, the Maharashtra government will soon bring a regulatory framework outlining operational rules for coaching classes encompassing guidelines on registration, facility standards, fee-structure and misleading promises.
Drawing from the Central government’s guidelines on coaching centre regulation, along with study of existing laws in a few states in the country, the state’s school education department is in the process of framing a policy outlining operational rules for the rapidly growing number of coaching classes.
A senior official from the school education department said that the plan is to present the draft policy in the upcoming winter session of the Assembly. “Last year, the Central government issued guidelines to regulate coaching classes. Whereas, there are some states like Goa, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka which have laws to regulate coaching classes for many years. The department is studying all of this to frame a policy that is best suited for Maharashtra. The department is mulling over the approach of the framework on whether it should seek to control or enable a better regulated coaching industry in the state,” said the official.
The new set of rules is likely to propose registration for coaching classes based on defined standards for infrastructural and other facilities to be provided. Instead of regulation on the fees, the policy will aim to bring in transparency by asking coaching classes to declare prospectus in public, along with guidelines on misleading promises by them. “An important aspect of the regulatory framework will also include the definition of a coaching class. There are commercially run coaching institutes, whether operating independently or in integration with junior colleges. At the same time, there are informally operational tuition classes conducted from residential houses. We will have to define what should be brought under the regulatory framework,” said the official privy to the work taking shape in this regard.
Regulation for coaching classes has been a pending topic in Maharashtra for some time now. In the year 2017-18, a 12-member committee including six government representatives was tasked to prepare a set of rules. After holding several meetings under the leadership of the then school education commissioner of Maharashtra, a draft of rules was submitted to the state government in 2018. One of the members of this committee, Bandopant Bhuyar, founder president of the Coaching Class Teachers Federation, said, “After Central government issued guidelines in this regard last year, several states have swung into action to prepare a regulatory framework for coaching classes. However, there is no development from the Maharashtra government yet, despite having a detailed set of draft rules prepared by the committee of experts.”
Pallavi Smart is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, Mumbai Bureau. Her reporting is singularly focused on the education sector, demonstrating exceptional Expertise and Authority across the entire spectrum of learning, from foundational schooling to advanced higher education. She is a highly Trustworthy source for policy, institutional developments, and systemic issues affecting students, teachers, and parents in Maharashtra.
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