Desperately in need of reforms, standardization and accountability, the coaching institutes in the country have recently been a subject of debates and surfeit of complaints by parents. Unfortunate cases of student suicides and fire incidents further uncovered the lack of safety regulations and infrastructural guidelines concerning such centres across the nation. Cracking a whip on private coaching centers across the nation, the Ministry of Education has framed new guidelines for regulating them, acknowledging and addressing the need for a legal framework to manage their unregulated growth and operations.
Now such centers will not be able to enroll students below 16 years of age or make false and misleading promises about a student's performance or guarantee a certain rank or marks in the entrance examinations. The coaching culture has seen a beyond steep rise in the past couple of decades in India. What started as a race to get into elite institutes like AIIMS and IITs has completely taken over the academic landscape of the nation, becoming the unavoidable and integral part of the Indian education system.
Checks on tutors, students
"No coaching center shall engage tutors having qualifications less than graduation. The institutes cannot make misleading promises or guarantee rank or good marks to parents for enrolling students in the coaching centers. The institutes cannot enroll students below 16 years of age. Student enrolment should be only after secondary school examination," say the guidelines.
No false promises
They further go on to address the issue of unrestrained advertisements by private centers. "The coaching institutes cannot publish or cause to be published or take part in the publication of any misleading advertisement relating to any claim, directly or indirectly, or quality of coaching or the facilities offered therein or the result procured by such coaching centre or the student who attended such class." The new rules also crack down on people with questionable credentials as the coaching centres cannot hire the services of any tutor or person who has been convicted of any offense involving moral turpitude. "Coaching centers shall have a website with updated details of the qualification of tutors, courses/curriculum, duration of completion, hostel facilities, and the fees being charged."
Steps for mental well-being of students
It also puts the condition that a counseling system shall be in place as per the required guidelines before an institute can be registered. It also makes it mandatory on the part of centers to take steps for the mental well-being of students given the tough competition and academic pressure. "They should establish a mechanism for immediate intervention to provide targeted and sustained assistance to students in distress and stressful situations. The competent authority may take steps to ensure that a counseling system is developed by the coaching centre and is easily available for the students and parents." The guidelines further state that, "information about the names of psychologists, counselors and the time they render services may be given to all students and parents. Trained counselors could be appointed in the coaching center to facilitate effective guidance and counseling for students and parents." Taking mental health utmost seriously, the guidelines say that, "tutors may undergo training in mental health issues to convey information effectively and sensitively to students about their areas of improvement."
Student suicides in Kota
The guidelines clearly take into account the recent spurt in student suicides in the coaching hub Kota. In 2023, over 26 students died by suicide in Kota, while this number was 15 in 2022, according to police records.
Fees should be fair and reasonable
It also makes it mandatory that the fees charged from parents and students should be fair and reasonable, although it stops short of defining what is fair and reasonable. "If a student has paid for the course in full and is leaving the course in the middle of the prescribed period,a student will be refunded out of the fees deposited earlier for the remaining period on a pro-rata basis within 10 days. Making the state governments responsible for monitoring the activities of the centers, the guidelines also propose registration of new and old centers within three months after they come into effect. Those found violating the guidelines and rules laid thereunder, the Centre has also suggested that centers be penalized up to Rs 1 lakh or their registration be canceled for charging exorbitant fees.
