Assam assembly passes bill to regulate coaching centres

GUWAHATI : The Assam assembly on Tuesday passed a bill to regulate private coaching centres, making it mandatory for registration of all such institutes and strict compliance with laid-down guidelines. During discussion on the proposed legislation, MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed was suspended from the House by Deputy Speaker Numol Momin for disrupting a minister’s reply. Ahmed, who had been earlier suspended from the Congress, tried to intervene when Education Minister Ranoj Pegu was speaking, prompting the deputy speaker to suspend him for 10 minutes.

Pegu, who had moved the proposed new law, said the objective behind it is to control commercialisation of coaching centres and ensure that guardians get justice. “The guardians and students had no one to approach if they are duped or misled by the coaching institutes. Hence, we have brought this bill,” he said. Pegu said the provisions of the bill, including the period of 30 days given to apply for registration for existing centres once the law is notified, have been carefully evaluated and enshrined. He maintained that coaching centres are primarily to prepare students seeking admission to higher education institutions, like engineering and medicine, and hence, provisions of the bill cater to students aged 16 years and above.

‘The Assam Coaching Institutes (Control and Regulation) Bill, 2025 ', which was passed by voice vote, provides for the control and regulation of private coaching centres and institutes, for providing better academic support in preparation for different competitive examinations. It also specifies that no coaching institute will engage in any affairs relating to religious conversion, and shall strictly adhere to the secular principles as enshrined in the Constitution. The institutes seeking registration have to provide information on its curriculum, duration of classes, co-curricular activities for the students, academic qualification of teachers, tuition fees, physical infrastructure and other facilities.

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The tenure of a registration certificate will be two years, after which the institute has to reapply for renewal, according to the provisions of the bill. The government shall create a portal or online mechanism to facilitate the registration process with minimum human interface, it said. In case of violation of provisions of the proposed law, the government can cancel or suspend the registration of a coaching institute.