Alert! Students Must be 16 to Join Coaching Centers – Government's Latest Rule

Coaching centres are now not allowed to accept students who are younger than 16 years. They are also not allowed to offer misleading guarantees to parents regarding student enrollment, such as high grades or rank assurance. 

According to the most recent guidelines released by the Ministry of Education for regulating private coaching centres across the nation, coaching institutes offering professional course training will now need to be registered, cannot accept students younger than 16 or charge exorbitant fees, and must offer psychological and mental health support to students in addition to adhering to fire safety and building safety regulations.

The Guidelines for Registration and Regulation of Coaching Centre 2024 prepared on Tuesday were forwarded to chief secretaries of all states and Union territories for taking appropriate action.

Government complaints concerning student suicides, fire occurrences, poor facilities in coaching institutes, and issues with their instructional strategies led to the creation of these standards. The standards state that coaching institutes are not permitted to employ instructors who have less education than a bachelor's degree. It is made clear that students should receive a refund if they choose to discontinue the course.

The Center suggests a fine on coaching centres of up to Rs 1 Lakh for breaking the rules or, in extreme circumstances, terminating their registration for collecting exorbitant fees.

The government suggests registering coaching institutes, both new and old, within three months of the guidelines going into effect in order to enable efficient control of these establishments. The rules specify that state government oversight of coaching institute operations will fall under its purview.