Maharashtra to regulate coaching industry: What are the expected regulations under the new framework?

A more important aspect of the framework will include curbing the misleading claims made by coaching classes in advertisements. A senior officer from the school education department who is privy to the work taking shape in this regard said, “It is a very common sight to see a successful student’s photo on advertisements of multiple coaching classes, each claiming that he/she studies there. The regulatory framework will emphasise how to curb such falsified claims by coaching classes, which can mislead potential students and their parents.”

Furthermore, the regulatory framework will define a coaching class. “To bring in a regulatory framework, it should entail a crucial detail on where it will be applicable. There are commercially-run coaching institutes, whether operating independently or in integration with junior colleges. At the same time, there are informal tuition classes being run from residential houses. We will have to define what should be brought under the regulatory framework,” said the officer.

How is the government preparing this regulatory framework?
Apart from drawing from the Central Government’s guidelines on coaching centre regulation, the state’s school education department is studying existing laws in this regard, which have already been implemented in a few states in the country. “Last year, the Central Government issued guidelines to regulate coaching classes. States such as Goa, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka have laws to regulate coaching classes. The department is studying all of these laws 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 officer, further adding that the plan is to present the draft policy, which is likely to be a law in the upcoming winter session of the Assembly.

There was already a regulation in the making in 2017-18. Is the government planning to build the policy on the same recommendations?
During the 2017-18 academic year, 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 was submitted to the state government in 2018. But it continues to remain pending. The new regulatory framework, however, will be a fresh perspective encompassing the changing education sector, including the coaching industry.