Context:

Recently, India’s Ministry of Education has released new guidelines for the operation of coaching centres in the country.

New Guidelines for Coaching Centres: Objective and Aim

• Objective: To provide a framework for the registration and regulation of coaching centres. 
• Aim: Establishing standards for regulating coaching centres to enhance student supervision and support for study programmes, competitive exams, and academics.
  • To create a conducive environment for coaching centers, ensuring they contribute positively to the educational and personal development of the students they serve.

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Need for the New Guidelines for Coaching Centres

National Education Policy, 2020 (NEP): It recognizes the current nature of secondary school exams, including Board exams and entrance exams, the resulting coaching culture of today, and its harmful impact.

• It suggests introducing greater flexibility, student choice, best-of-two attempts, assessments that primarily test core capacities, and developing viable models of Board Exams that reduce pressure and the coaching culture.

Exponential Increase in Suicide Cases: In 2023 alone, at least 29 students died by suicide in Kota, the highest number of student suicides recorded in the city since 2015. 

Other Factors for Issuing Guidelines for Coaching Centres

• Establishing a structured framework for the registration and regulation of coaching centers.
• Defining minimum standard requirements for the operation of coaching centers.
• Safeguarding the interests of students enrolled in coaching centers.
• Co-curricular Activities: Encouraging coaching centers to focus on co-curricular activities for the holistic development of students.
• Mental health: Providing career guidance and psychological counseling to ensure the mental well-being of students.

Definition of Key Terms in the New Guidelines for Coaching Centres

• Coaching: Tuition, instructions, or guidance in any branch of learning imparted to more than 50 students but does not include counseling, sports, dance, theatre, and other creative activities.
• Institution: School or any other educational institution recognized or controlled by the State/UT Government.
• Tutor: Person who guides or trains students in any coaching center and includes a tutor giving specialised tuition.
• University: University established or incorporated by or under a Central Act, a Provincial Act, or a State Act.

Highlights of the New Guidelines for Coaching Centres

• Registration of the Coaching Center: A person can maintain a coaching center only with prior registration of such coaching centers.
  • Coaching centers existing on the date of implementation of the guidelines shall apply for registration within a period of three months from the date of implementation of the guidelines.

• Fee and infrastructure: Coaching centres can charge fair and reasonable fees and must produce receipts, provide a prospectus mentioning courses offered by them, the duration of those courses, the number of classes, lectures, tutorials, etc., the guidelines read.
• Fee Refund Clause: In case a student has paid the fee for the entire course but leaves it in the middle, the fee for the remaining period has to be refunded within 10 days. 
• Basic Infrastructure and Limited Study Hours: Coaching centers should allocate a minimum of one square meter per student in each class. 
  • Safety: Compliance with fire safety and building codes, including obtaining Fire and Building Safety Certificates, is mandatory.

• Timetable of Coachings: Class schedules should not overlap with regular school hours to ensure consistent attendance.
• Rest Period: Both students and tutors must have mandatory weekly offs. 
  • Class sizes should be maintained to ensure a healthy teacher-student ratio.
• Penalty for violations: Violating any terms or conditions of registration will attract penalties: 
  • First offence: ₹25,000, 
  • Second Offence: ₹1 lakh.
  • Repeated Breaches: Revocation of Registration.

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• Mental Health of Students: Coaching center shall have committee for redressal of complaints/grievances of students.
  • Ensure mental well-being of students by avoiding putting undue pressure and establishing a mechanism of providing targeted and sustained assistance to students in distress and stressful situations.
• Other Remedial Steps
  • Remedial classes to be held for students.
  • A spaced out curriculum that doesn’t put pressure on students and allows them time to relax.
  • Weekly offs for students and teachers.
  • No tests/exams on the day after a weekly off.
  • Leaves for festivals so that students can connect with their families.
  • Not more than 5 hours of classes in a day.
  • Timing: Classes can’t be held too early in the morning or too late in the evening.
  • Coaching centres to organise co-curricular activities for holistic development of students.
  • Coaching centres to organise counselling sessions for life skills and cognitive development.
  • Coaching centres do not make the assessment results public.