Ghaziabad: Acting on complaints from students and parents, the education department has ordered all coaching institutes in the district to ensure that tutors are at least graduates. It has also mandated that students attending coaching classes cannot be charged more than a monthly or quarterly fee at a time, and parents and students should not be given any “guarantees” of good marks, top rankings in competitive exams or admission to preferred institutes to entice them into enrolling.The regulatory framework, issued this week, states that any direct or indirect reference to results, quality of teaching or facilities that could mislead students will be treated as a violation.“Such assurances often create unrealistic expectations and financial pressure on families,” said a senior official from the education department.On faculty eligibility, the order barred centres from appointing tutors without a graduation degree and prohibited the hiring of individuals convicted of offences involving moral turpitude.Fee regulation has been made equally stringent. The order states that institutes cannot charge beyond a monthly or quarterly cycle at one time, must maintain transparent fee structures, issue receipts and clearly outline refund policies. Fees, it states, must be “fair and reasonable”.“For exams like JEE and NEET, annual coaching fees range from Rs 1 lakh to over Rs 3 lakh depending on the institute. For middle-class families, this is a significant burden — defining ‘fair and reasonable’ fees actually matters,” said Mukesh Tyagi, a Ghaziabad parent whose son is in class 8.In Jan last year, an FIR was registered against senior officials of FIITJEE’s Raj Nagar District Centre for operating without registration and shutting down abruptly, leaving around 800 students in limbo months before competitive exams. The centre had allegedly collected advance fees of Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh per student, many of them in classes 9 to 12 preparing for engineering entrance examinations.Infrastructure and safety norms have been significantly tightened. Centres have been asked to operate from buildings compliant with National Building Code standards and hold valid fire safety certificates. The use of basements for classes has been prohibited. Adequate lighting, ventilation, safe electrification and clean drinking water are mandatory.The directive follows the deaths of three civil service aspirants in July 2024, when heavy rain flooded the basement of a Rajinder Nagar building in Delhi housing Rau’s IAS Study Circle. In 2023, 61 students were injured, two of them critically, as a major fire broke out in a building housing a coaching institute in Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar.“Security measures include CCTV cameras at entry, exit points and classrooms, with proper backup systems. Separate toilets for men and women, first-aid kits and prominently displayed emergency contacts — police, fire services and hospitals — are also required,” said Dharmendra Singh, district school inspector, Ghaziabad.To protect student welfare, institutes have been barred from scheduling excessively long classes or holding sessions at unreasonable hours. Each centre must maintain a complaint box or register and constitute an internal grievance committee.The order reiterates that no coaching centre may operate without registration. Institutes have also been barred from employing teachers from govt or aided schools. Authorities have warned of strict administrative action against unregistered centres or those found in violation. “The focus is on protecting students from misleading practices and ensuring a fair, safe and regulated learning environment,” an official said.In line with the ministry of education’s Jan 2024 national guidelines and Uttar Pradesh Coaching Rules, 2002, institutes have also been directed to maintain a functional website disclosing tutor qualifications, course details, fee structures, enrolment numbers and result track records. Coaching centres have been directed to prominently display all information and the regulatory guidelines on noticeboards on their premises and right at the entry gates—a step officials say will help parents make informed decisions and hold institutes accountable.Last year, Noida issued a similar directive centred on student mental health. District magistrate Medha Roopam asked all educational institutions to maintain disciplined environments, regulated schedules and adequate facilities to reduce stress and protect students’ well-being.The order also mandated regular inspections of coaching centres to ensure compliance with prescribed standards, including proper seating, cleanliness, fire safety measures, functional emergency exits and adherence to class timings. Institutes were directed to appoint trained counsellors, conduct periodic staff training and ensure access to medical facilities.Reduce student stress, Noida centres told
