Govt Guidelines For Coaching Centres: Students Below 16 Years Can’t Be Enrolled

New Delhi: Institutes providing coaching for professional courses will henceforth have to follow stringent guidelines.

As per guidelines released by the Union Ministry of Education, all private coaching centres across the country will have to be registered and cannot enrol students below 16 years of age.

The Guidelines for Registration and Regulation of Coaching Centre 2024 was forwarded to the chief secretaries to be followed in all states and Union territories.

Some states already have laws to regulate coaching institutes, but concerns had been raised at the national level following the mushrooming of unregulated private coaching centres which charge exorbitant fees and also rise in student suicides due to stress on performance.

A distressed parent even approached Supreme Court last November seeking guidelines or some kind of regulation to prevent loss of young lives at Rajasthan’s Kota, where a record 26 suicide deaths were reported in 2023.

“Due to high competition and academic pressure on students, coaching centres should take steps for mental wellbeing of the students and may conduct classes without putting undue pressure on its students. Also, they should establish the mechanism for immediate intervention to provide targeted and sustained assistance to students in distress and stressful situations,” states the guidelines.

“Coaching institutes are encouraged to involve counsellors and experienced psychologists to counsel and provide psychotherapeutic service to students for the resolution of mental stress and depression,” it further says.

KEY POINTS OF THE GUIDELINES

Conditions for registration

No coaching centre shall:

* Engage tutors with qualifications lower than graduation.

* Make misleading promises or guarantees of ranks or good marks to parents/students for enrolling them in the coaching centre.

* Enrol students below 16 years of age; student enrollment should only occur after the secondary school examination.

* Publish or be involved in the publication of any misleading advertisement related to claims, directly or indirectly, regarding the quality of coaching, facilities offered, or the results obtained by the coaching centre or its students.

* Be registered if it has less than the minimum space requirement per student.

Objectives of guidelines 

* Establishing a framework for the registration and regulation of coaching centres.

* Defining minimum standard requirements for the operation of coaching centres.

* Safeguarding the interests of students enrolled in coaching centres.

* Encouraging coaching centres to prioritise co-curricular activities for comprehensive student development.

* Providing career guidance and psychological counseling to ensure the mental well-being of students.

Registration process for coaching centres involves submitting applications, undergoing renewal procedures, and complying with specified conditions. Registration conditions include hiring qualified tutors, avoiding deceptive promises, admitting students above the age of 16, and implementing a counselling system.

Cancellation of registration

Certificate of registration granted to a coaching centre may be cancelled at any time if the competent authority is satisfied that the centre has violated any of the guidelines’ provisions or terms and conditions of registration.

However, the competent authority has to provide the certificate holder with a reasonable opportunity to present their case before making such a decision.