Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Source: Med
Context: The Ministry of Education has sent to states/UTs for consideration guidelines for coaching centres.
Education comes under Concurrent List status, with coaching institutes falling under state/UT jurisdiction.
Need for Guidelines:
Regulation is deemed necessary due to recent incidents, including fire-related deaths and suicides, coupled with concerns about methodologies and excessive fees. The aim is to address misleading ads under the Consumer Protection Act, offer career guidance, and psychological counseling, and align with the National Education Policy (2020) emphasizing formative assessment over summative assessment to discourage a ‘coaching culture.’
Key features of the Guidelines:
| Guidelines | Details |
| Definition of Coaching | Tuition, instructions, or guidance in any branch of learning to more than 50 students, excluding certain activities. |
| Definition of Institution | School or any educational institution recognized or controlled by the State/UT Government. |
| Definition of Tutor | The person guiding or training students in any coaching centre, including those providing specialized tuition. |
| Definition of University | University established by or under a Central Act, a Provincial Act, or a State Act. |
| Registration of Coaching Center | Prior registration is required for maintaining a coaching centre. Existing centres must apply within three months. |
| For States | States/UTs were urged to Develop an Online Registration Portal for Coaching Centers |
| For Coaching Centers | |
| Fee and Infrastructure | Centres can charge fair fees, provide receipts, mention courses, and duration, and maintain basic infrastructure. |
| Fee Refund Clause | Refund the remaining fee within 10 days if a student leaves the course midway after paying the entire fee. |
| Basic Infrastructure and Study Hours | Allocate a minimum of one square meter per student, comply with fire safety, and limit study hours. |
| Timetable of Coachings | Class schedules should not overlap with regular school hours. |
| Rest Period | Mandatory weekly offs for both students and tutors. |
| Class Sizes | Maintain sizes for a healthy teacher-student ratio. |
| Qualificaiton of tutor | No coaching centre shall engage tutors having less qualification than graduation. |
| Advertisement | No coaching centre shall make misleading promises or guarantee of rank or good marks to parents/students for enrolling them in the coaching centre |
| Penalty for Violations | First offence: ₹25,000; Second Offence: ₹1 lakh; Repeated Breaches: Revocation of Registration. |
| Mental Health of Students | Establish committees for complaint redressal, avoid undue pressure, and provide assistance to students in distress. |
| Other Remedial Steps | Remedial classes, spaced-out curriculum, weekly offs, no tests/exams after weekly offs, festival leaves, limited daily class hours, appropriate timing, co-curricular activities, counselling sessions, and non-publication of assessment results. |
