Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has proposed a legislation to regulate private coaching centres in the state, making registration mandatory, capping classes at five hours a day and prescribing norms on fees, infrastructure, student safety, counselling and mental health.The draft Maharashtra Private Coaching Centers (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2026, published by the school education and sports department, seeks to bar coaching centres from enrolling children below 13 years and from making misleading promises about ranks or marks.Officials in the school education department said the draft is open to objections and suggestions before it is “considered by the govt in September”. The regulation was in the pipeline for the last few years and has been finalised now. It has come against the backdrop of NEET paper leak and the alleged involvement of coaching centres.Under the proposed law, coaching centres will have to register and renew their registration. Tutors must be graduates, while centres would not be allowed to employ persons against whom a cognisable offence has been registered.The proposed legislation seeks to keep coaching centres separate from formal institutions. Centres would not be permitted to operate on the premises of recognised schools or colleges, employ teachers working in recognised schools or junior colleges, or enter into any form of integration with recognised schools.On fees, the draft requires coaching centres to issue receipts and prohibits them from charging amounts beyond the declared course fee. To reduce academic pressure, the draft says coaching classes should not exceed five hours a day and should not be held too early in the morning or too late in the evening. Centres would have to provide a weekly day off to students and tutors and avoid conducting tests or examinations on the day immediately following the weekly off.The draft lays down infrastructure requirements, including a minimum of one square metre of space per student, fire and building safety certificates, among others. Coaching centres would not be permitted to operate from basements and would have to install CCTV cameras covering their premises and preserve footage for at least one month.The proposed norms also emphasise students’ mental wellbeing. The draft further proposes that students should be informed about the difficulty and intensity of examinations before admission and that coaching centres should make clear that enrolment does not guarantee success in competitive examinations or admission to professional courses.Batch segregation based on academic performance would not be permitted, with the draft stating that such segregation could increase pressure on students and affect their mental health.The proposed law provides for a formal grievance redressal mechanism. Complaints relating to offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act or the law concerning sexual harassment at the workplace would require action within 24 hours, with coaching centre management required to immediately provide relevant information, including CCTV footage, to the government.Violations could attract fines ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for minor offences and Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh for major violations. Repeated minor violations could attract a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh. Authorities could also order temporary suspension or permanent cancellation of registration or closure of a coaching centre.
