Coaching institutes would have to abide by this structure; and they will also have to accept fees only by cheque.
The State could soon regulate the fees of private coaching classes, as per the draft of the Maharashtra Private Coaching Regulation Bill 2018 which is likely to be tabled in the Winter Session of the Assembly next week.
As per the draft, the State will form a designated body to periodically set and regulate the fee structure for private coaching classes from region to region. Coaching institutes would have to abide by this structure; and they will also have to accept fees only by cheque.
The draft bill also states that only a class with five or less students can be considered a home tuition class; if the number of students exceeds this, it would fall under the ambit of a private class. Each such class would have to abide by the norms set by the state government.
"Each private class needs to have adequate seating capacity and can have a maximum of 80 students per class," the draft states, "It should have a separate toilet for girls and boys, and enough parking space. The guidelines stated in the bill will be applicable to classes which cater to students up to class XII."
If the bill is passed, every private class would have to reserve 5% seats for students from lower economic backgrounds and give 50% discount in fees for students coming from government schools or institutes run by local self-government bodies.
The draft bill continues the recent policy of not allowing integrated coaching — coaching classes run within the premises of educational institutes and during school/college hours.
Private classes would have to take the requisite permissions while setting up classes and would have to keep accounts and audit reports ready for government scrutiny at any time. They would also have to donate 5% of their income for educational funds of the state government.
Trustee of Science Parivar, prof Subhash Joshi, said that the bill, if passed in its existing form, would completely end the autonomy of coaching institutes. "The government should realise that coaching classes run on a competitive basis and are not compulsory in nature," says Joshi, "How can the government decide everything from fees to teacher appointments when it is not giving us any financial or any other kind of support?" He added that the government should ensure good quality teaching in schools and colleges so that students don't have to turn to coaching institutes.
Alka sinha said that home tutors like her, who charge much less than commercial classes, would be at a loss with the new rules. "We cannot provide parking and separate washrooms as the income from fees is very small," she said.
Draft rules
- State govt will fix and regulate fees of pvt coaching classes
- Classes can take fees only by cheque
- Only classes with 5 or less students to be considered home tuition
- Students cannot be charged separately for books, notes or study material
- 5% seats to be reserved for poor;
- Classes to provide separate loos for boys and girls and adequate parking
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