Maharashtra govt releases draft bill for regulating private coaching and tuition industry, invites suggestions from the public: All you need to know
· OpIndia
The BJP government in Maharashtra is all set to regulate and improve private coaching and tuition centres in the state for the overall improvement of the level of school education. The Maharashtra government’s School Education Department has released the draft Maharashtra Private Coaching Classes (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2026 on Saturday (22nd August), inviting suggestions and objections from the public till 4th September.
Through the bill, the state government has made a comprehensive attempt to bring the sprawling private coaching and tuition industry in the state under a legal framework. With a rising number of students appearing for various competitive examinations, private coaching centres have emerged as a parallel educational framework not just in Maharashtra but across the country. However, unlike schools and colleges, private coaching centres are unregulated and do not operate under any legal framework. This led the Maharashtra government to come up with a legal solution to fix accountability of coaching and tuition centres towards students.
Visit umafrika.club for more information.
maharashtra-draft-legislationDownloadA framework to ensure students’ safety and well-being
The bill aims “to provide a framework for registration and regulation of private coaching classes; especially in relation to the education imparted, mental well-being of the students and facilities provided to them; and to make provisions for effective redressal of grievances and issues incidental thereto”, as mentioned in its statement of objectives and reasons.
The bill would also regulate who would be able to teach students in coaching and tuition centres. It mandates graduation as the minimum qualification for a teacher in all coaching centres and prohibits coaching centres from hiring any person as a teacher or other staff against whom a cognisable offence has been registered under the IPC or BNS.
To protect young children from being overburdened with the pressure of studies, the bill bars the enrollment of students under 13 years of age in coaching centres. The bill ensures students’ safety by prohibiting coaching classes operating from basements. The bill would also require coaching centres to retain at least a month’s CCTV footage and hold fire and building safety certificates.
For the mental and physical well-being of the students, the bill mandates a weekly off for students and tutors. It restricts daily coaching hours to five hours a day and prohibits scheduling of tests on the day immediately after that weekly off. Additionally, coaching centres would be required to schedule leave around major festivals.
Mandatory registration of coaching centres
Once the bill is passed, coaching centres in the state would not be able to operate without mandatory registration, which will be renewed periodically. Registration will be valid for three years and would be renewable at least three months before expiry. The application for registration would be filed in online mode through a dedicated online portal that the state government is required to build. Besides, coaching centres with multiple branches will have to register each branch separately.
Existing coaching centres would get six months’ time to register through the online portal, and the registration would be valid for three years. Coaching centres would be required to register, regulate their fees and comply with requirements on safety, staffing and student welfare.
The bill prohibits coaching centres from making any misleading advertisements regarding guarantees of ranks, marks, results pr facilities. Centres would have to disclose on their website all necessary information, including the qualifications of teachers, courses offered, duration of courses, and physical facilities and amenities provided in coaching centres.
Ban on ‘dummy school model’
A major highlight of the bill is the explicit prohibition on the “integration” of schools and coaching centres, commonly known as the dummy-school model. Schools found to be in violation may face derecognition.
The bill bars coaching centres from hiring the services of any person or tutor or teacher who has been appointed and is working as a teacher in any approved or recognised school or junior college. Also, a private coaching centre would not be allowed to operate on the premises of any school or college duly approved or recognised by the government.
It defines a ‘coaching centre’ as any centre established, run, or administered by any person or body of persons or institute or a company, other than government-approved schools or educational institutions, to provide coaching to more than 25 students for any study, program or competitive examinations or academic support to students.
Fee transparency and refunds
The bill makes it mandatory for private coaching centres to immediately provide a receipt for full or part payment of the fee in an appropriate format. Besides, coaching centres cannot charge extra fees for prospectus, notes, study material, internal examinations and other related items. All of this would be covered in the course fee. Coaching centres would not be allowed to alter the course fee during the continuation of the course.
If any student who has made full payment of the fee wants to leave the course in the middle of the course duration, the coaching centre will refund the fee for the remaining period of the course on a pro-rata basis, within 10 days. If the student was staying in the hostel of the coaching centre, then the hostel fees and mess fee, etc. shall also be refunded in the same manner.
Grievance redressal
The bill mandates all private coaching centres to formulate a detailed grievance redressal mechanism and publish it on their websites. The grievance redressal mechanism should include details, guidelines and provisions regarding the manner of raising complaints or grievances, and the officer or authority responsible for grievance redressal.
Coaching centres can place complaint boxes within their premises, where students can drop their complaints. For complaints relating to the POCSO Act or the POSH Act, action must be taken within 24-hours from the filing of the complaint.
Inspections and Penalties
The bill grants sweeping powers to Inquiry Officers to be appointed by the government to inquire into complaints raised under the Act. The powers include the right to enter and inspect centres, summon witnesses, examine records, and search premises and seize documents or electronic devices.
The bill categorises violations of provisions contained therein as “major” and “minor”. Major violations include hiring unqualified or ineligible tutors, illegal school tie-ups, or failing to set up a grievance mechanism. Minor violations include exceeding the daily five-hour limit for classes, publishing assessment results, segregating students based on academic performance or failing to provide drinking water.
Major violations under the bill can attract fines between ₹10 lakh and ₹50 lakh, along with suspension or cancellation of registration. Minor violations carry fines of ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh, rising to ₹10 lakh for repeat offences.