Delhi government to bring rules for coaching centres, student welfare

New Delhi, Jun 11 (PTI) Delhi government will set up a multidisciplinary committee to draft a regulatory framework for coaching institutes, covering issues ranging from fee structures and student safety to infrastructure standards, Education Minister Ashish Sood said on Thursday.

The education minister held a meeting in this regard, which was attended by senior officials from regulatory and civic agencies, including the MCD, Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, the Directorate of Higher Education , and the departments of labour, health and urban development, among others, an official statement said.

The initiative comes in the backdrop of the Saket building collapse, in which six people died, with five of them being students. The committee will formulate guidelines on fee regulation, student safety and welfare, counselling and mental health support systems, infrastructure standards and building safety compliance, fire and emergency preparedness, welfare of teachers and staff, and standardisation of working conditions, he said.

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Delhi govt's stricter regulation of coaching institutes

"It will also recommend mechanisms for addressing grievances of students and coaching institute employees, besides laying down provisions for periodic inspections and compliance monitoring," the minister said.

According to him, the Higher Education director has been designated as the nodal officer for drafting the policy.

The move comes nearly two years after the Old Rajendra Nagar coaching centre tragedy of 2024, in which three IAS aspirants drowned in the basement of a coaching centre due to flooding and alleged structural and infrastructure deficiencies.

The incident led to judicial and administrative scrutiny, following which the Delhi High Court constituted a high-level committee headed by retired Justice R K Gauba to examine vulnerabilities in coaching hubs and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents.

In its report, the committee had identified systemic gaps and suggested a framework for stricter regulation and oversight of coaching institutes.