Coaching centres, according to new guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education, cannot enlist students under the age of 16, make deceptive claims, or guarantee rank or excellent scores. The criteria for regulating coaching institutions have been developed to fulfil the requirement for a legal framework while also managing the unregulated proliferation of private coaching facilities.

It comes after the government received complaints about an increase in student suicides, fire events, a lack of amenities in coaching situations, and the instructional methodology used by them.

"No coaching centre shall engage tutors having qualifications less than graduation. The institutions cannot make misleading promises or guarantee rank or good marks to parents for enrolling students in the coaching centres. The institutes cannot enrol students below 16 years of age. Student enrolment should be only after secondary school examination," the guidelines stated.

No deceptive ads, or hiring of convicted individuals

"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, of quality of coaching or the facilities offered therein or the result procured by such coaching centre or the student who attended such class," according to the statement.

Any instructor or anyone who has been convicted of a moral turpitude-related offence cannot be hired by the coaching centres. An institute will not be registered unless it has a counselling system that meets the requirements of these rules.

"Coaching centres shall have a website with updated details of the qualification of tutors, courses/curriculum, duration of completion, hostel facilities, and the fees being charged," the guidelines said.

Address the Mental Health of Students

According to new recommendations, due to strong competition and academic pressure on students, coaching centres should take precautions to protect their mental health and may conduct courses without placing them under undue stress.

"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 counselling system is developed by the coaching centre and is easily available for the students and parents. Information about the names of psychologists, counsellors and the time they render services may be given to all students and parents. Trained counsellors could be appointed in the coaching centre to facilitate effective guidance and counselling for students and parents," the guidelines mentioned.

Additionally, it said that teachers "may undergo training in mental health issues to convey information effectively and sensitively to students about their areas of improvement" .

The rules outlining the foundation for mental health came in the wake of student suicides in the coaching hotspot Kota in 2023. The dramatic rise in the frequency of student suicides raised several concerns about the coaching profession.

Tuition Fee Guidelines

According to the rules, tuition costs for various courses and curricula must be fair and reasonable, and receipts for the amounts collected must be provided.

"If a student has paid for the course in full and leaves in the middle of the prescribed period, the remaining period will be refunded on a pro-rata basis within 10 days from the fees deposited earlier."

"If the student stayed at the coaching center's hostel, the lodging, mess, and other expenses will be returned. Under no circumstances can the charge for which an enrolment has been made for a certain course and duration be increased throughout the course's validity," it stated.

Giving weight to the policy, the Centre has proposed that coaching institutions be fined up to Rs 1 lakh or have their registration cancelled if they charge exorbitant fees that cause undue stress, leading to student suicide, or for other malpractices.

Coaching Centre Surveillance

To guarantee effective supervision of coaching institutes, the government has suggested registering new and existing centres within three months of the guidelines going into force.

The state government would be in charge of monitoring the coaching centre's operations and inquiring about any coaching centre's compliance with registration requirements and satisfactory actions.

"Considering that regulation of +2 level education is the responsibility of State/Union Territory Governments, these institutions are best regulated by the State / UT governments," the report said.

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