Maharashtra to introduce policy for regulating coaching centres: Report

Maharashtra is planning to introduce a framework to regulate the mushrooming of coaching centres in the state, as per an Indian Express report. The policy for coaching classes in Maharashtra will outline operational rules including registration, fee structure, infrastructure, among others.

Taking notes from the coaching centre norms issued by the centre and existing laws in other states, the state education department is going to draft the framework for the functioning of coaching institutes across the state, the report suggested.

A senior official from the school education department told IE that they are planning to present the draft policy in the upcoming winter session of the Maharashtra 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,” the official was quoted as saying.

Registration based on set standards, provisions of facilities, transparency in fee by making prospectus public, guidelines on false claims are among the proposed guidelines, as per the IE report. The Maharashtra coaching centre guidelines will also define coaching classes.

Maharashtra coaching centre guidelines

In March this year, school education minister Dadaji Bhuse said that a proposal has been prepared at the commissioner level to regulate private coaching classes with the aim of curbing malpractices.

Based on this proposal, the state government will issue an Act to regulate private coaching classes soon, Bhuse added.

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Responding to the questions on financial burden on students taking coaching classes, Bhuse said, "The Centre has already framed guidelines regarding private coaching. Based on those, the state's school education department will also frame its own legislation. We have already drafted a proposal, and the Act will be published in the coming days."

Recently, Centre formed a committee to tackle coaching dependency, dummy schools, and pressure of national entrance exams such as Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) on students.