Maharashtra Government Takes Steps to Regulate Coaching Industry
The Maharashtra government is actively working on creating a comprehensive regulatory framework for coaching classes operating across the state. This initiative aims to address the rapid growth of the coaching industry and implement measures to protect students from misleading practices.
Policy Framework and Key Components
The state's school education department is currently drafting this policy, which will establish clear operational guidelines covering several critical areas. These include mandatory registration processes, defined infrastructure standards, and requirements for complete transparency in fee structures.
According to a senior official from the school education department, the policy is being developed after careful study of multiple references. '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 official stated. The department is examining all these models to create a policy that best suits Maharashtra's specific requirements.
Implementation Timeline and Historical Context
The government plans to present the draft policy during the upcoming winter session of the Assembly. This move comes after previous attempts to regulate the sector, including a 2017-18 initiative where a 12-member committee was formed to prepare rules.
Bandopant Bhuyar, founder president of the Coaching Class Teachers Federation and a member of the 2017-18 committee, highlighted that a detailed draft of rules was submitted to the state government in 2018. He expressed concern that despite having this prepared draft and the recent central guidelines, Maharashtra has yet to implement any regulatory framework.
The new regulatory approach will focus on bringing transparency rather than directly controlling fees. Coaching institutes will be required to publicly declare their prospectus and adhere to guidelines preventing misleading promises. The policy will also clearly define what constitutes a coaching class, addressing everything from large commercial institutes to smaller tuition classes operating from residential premises.
