Parliamentary panel to review mushrooming of coaching centres, PM SHRI schools, HECI plans

NEW DELHI: Amid rising student suicides due to stress, a parliamentary committee has decided to review the "proliferation" of coaching centres to support students in competitive examinations and the social issues arising from it. The standing committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports will also examine impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and leverage of emerging technology on education and student.

According to a recent Lok Sabha bulletin, the standing committee has also decided the review of PM Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI) during the year 2025-26. The panel will review proliferation of coaching centres to support students in competitive examinations, social issues arising from it and existing legislation on the matter, the bulletin said. There have been cases of students enrolled in coaching institutes ending their lives in recent years due to study pressure, with several cases reported in Rajasthan's Kota city alone, which is known as the "coaching capital of India".

The Ministry of Education had earlier this year set up a nine-member panel to examine issues relating to coaching and the emergence of "dummy schools" besides the effectiveness and fairness of entrance examinations. The panel is studying the effectiveness and fairness of competitive entrance examinations in the context of the school education system and their influence on the growth of the coaching industry. During the year, the parliamentary panel will also examine the "current practices and policies" regarding school closure.

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According to the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the committee will also review the functioning and performance of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) as also efforts to promote education of linguistic and religious minorities. The panel will also seek details on the Education Ministry's "efforts" to create a Higher Education Council of India (HECI). A bill to set up a higher education regulator, which will replace bodies such as the UGC, is listed for introduction in the Winter session of Parliament, set to commence on December 1.

The HECI which was proposed in the new National Education Policy, looks to replace the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). While the UGC oversees non-technical higher education, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE is the regulatory body for teachers' education. The parliamentary panel will also review study of Indological academic traditions and its impact on current education system.