Delhi govt plans draft policy to regulate coaching centres
New Delhi, June 11
Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting to discuss the formulation of a comprehensive regulatory framework for functioning of coaching centres in Delhi.
The Director of Higher Education will serve as the Nodal Officer for drafting the policy, said an official statement.
A multidisciplinary committee will be constituted to formulate detailed guidelines covering key areas like fee structure, student safety and welfare, mental health support and counselling mechanisms, said the statement, quoting Sood.
Infrastructure standards and building safety compliance, fire and emergency preparedness measures, teacher and staff welfare and standardisation of working conditions will also be areas of the committee's focus, said the statement.
The decision to draft a policy comes in the backdrop of a report by a high-level committee under the chairmanship of Justice (Retd.) R.C. Gauba constituted by the Delhi High Court to examine the vulnerabilities of coaching hubs.
The Gauba Committee, constituted after the 2024 fatal flooding incident at a coaching institute in Old Rajendra Nagar, was tasked to identify systemic gaps and propose a framework for stricter regulation and oversight.
The meeting chaired by Sood was attended by senior officials from all key regulatory and civic agencies, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Fire Services, Directorate of Higher Education, Delhi Police, Department of Labour, Department of Health and Urban Development Department.
The minister said that the Delhi government is taking the matter of coaching institutes very seriously.
The meeting marked a significant shift in the governance of coaching institutes in the national capital, moving from fragmented civic monitoring towards a coordinated academic and regulatory framework.
A multidisciplinary committee will also formulate detailed guidelines for establishment of grievance redressal mechanisms for coaching staff and students.
Sood said that the proposed framework will ensure a safe, transparent, accountable, and student-centric environment in coaching institutes across Delhi while promoting quality educational support services.
Delhi is going to be the pioneer state to come out with a comprehensive guidelines for regulating the functioning of the coaching institutes joined by students from across the country, said Sood.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally, someone is thinking about student mental health. My cousin was in Kota for two years - the pressure was insane. If Delhi can set a good precedent with counselling mechanisms and grievance redressal, other states might follow. But they need to look at teacher qualifications too - many "faculty" are just overworked undergrads. 😔
Let's see how this works in practice. Delhi has thousands of coaching centres, and many operate from residential buildings with zero safety compliance. Fire services and MCD involvement is good, but who will do the actual inspections? The real issue is the rat race mentality - regulating centres won't reduce the pressure on kids. Still, a small step forward. 👍
As someone who taught at a coaching centre for 3 years, I can tell you the staff welfare part is crucial. We worked 14-hour days with no overtime, no job security. Students see us as just "faculty robots". If the committee also standardises working conditions and pays, maybe we'll get better teachers. But don't expect the big chains to comply silently - they have deep pockets. 💼
Doubtful this will help. The real problem is the education system itself - why do students need coaching in the first place? School boards are useless for competitive exams. This policy is just a band-aid on a bullet wound. Still, I hope the fee cap works - my parents spent ₹2.5 lakh for my JEE prep including hostel. That's more than my annual college fees now! 😤
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