Maharashtra Private Coaching Bill Draft Draws Mixed Response From Pune Teachers, Students

· Free Press Journal

Pune: Private coaching institutes in Maharashtra could soon face tighter regulation, with the state government proposing mandatory registration, restrictions on teaching hours, fee transparency, safety compliance and student-welfare measures under the draft Maharashtra Private Coaching Centers (Registration and Regulation) Bill, 2026.

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The proposed legislation, drafted in the wake of concerns surrounding the NEET-UG paper leak and the growing dependence of students on private coaching, seeks to bring institutes under a formal regulatory framework. The government has invited suggestions and objections from students, parents, teachers and coaching operators before finalising the Bill.

Under the draft, coaching centres with more than 25 students will have to register online, with registration valid for three years. Existing institutes would get six months to complete the process. Centres would also have to comply with fire and building safety norms, while CCTV footage would have to be preserved for at least one month.

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One of the most significant provisions is a proposed five-hour daily teaching limit, along with a mandatory weekly holiday for students and teachers. Tests cannot be conducted on the day immediately following the weekly holiday. The draft also seeks to prohibit integration between schools and coaching centres, a move aimed at curbing the “dummy school” system.

The Bill proposes greater transparency in fees and refunds. Coaching centres would not be allowed to increase fees after enrolment and would have to refund the unused portion of course fees, hostel and mess charges to students leaving a course. Institutes would also have to publicly disclose faculty qualifications, course fees and refund policies.

'Burden on students will actually double'

Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Ajay Kumar, professor at Allen Career Institute on FC Road, said, “While we welcome transparency and student safety measures like mandatory fire compliance and CCTV coverage, capping daily teaching hours at five and banning integrated coaching creates a serious operational challenge. NEET and JEE syllabi are massive; if students are forced to attend regular physical college full-time alongside restrictive coaching hours, the burden on them will actually double rather than decrease.”

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He added that coaching teachers increasingly handle responsibilities beyond academics. “We are constantly caught between severe parental expectations for top ranks and managing student stress; we end up acting as academic mentors, counsellors and pseudo-parents all at once.” He also argued that stronger paper-security mechanisms should be addressed at the examination level.

'Step in the right direction'

Soham Kulkarni, professor at Lakshya Institute, said provisions regulating fees and refunds could protect students from unfair practices. “Regulating unfair fee hikes and mandatory refund policies for dropouts is a step in the right direction because predatory practices by unorganised operators hurt the reputation of the entire teaching fraternity,” he said.

However, Kulkarni said the government should also consider the pressures faced by teachers. He said, “We undergo immense mental fatigue, delivering six to eight hours of high-intensity lectures daily while managing intense anxiety from parents every time a mock test score dips,” adding that school curricula often do not match the difficulty of national competitive examinations.

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'Caught in an endless rat race'

On the other hand, students have called for stronger mental-health support, accountability and transparency. Dhanraj Khatari, 18, a NEET aspirant studying at an FC Road coaching centre, said, “It feels like we are caught in an endless rat race where any paper leak in the system completely destroys months of our hard work and sleepless nights.” He wants the government to make psychological counselling mandatory at coaching centres without additional charges and impose strict criminal action against those responsible for examination-paper leaks.

Ankit Gaikwad, a JEE Advanced aspirant from a Tilak Road coaching centre, welcomed the proposed weekly holiday but said the dummy-school provision must be accompanied by changes in the regular education system. “If I am forced to attend 75% school lectures that don’t cover JEE-level physics or maths, where do I find the time to solve Advanced-level problem sets?” he said, suggesting a unified hybrid curriculum for students preparing for competitive examinations.

'Mandatory limit on batch sizes'

Another student, a repeater at an FC Road coaching centre, said the proposed refund provisions could provide financial protection to families. “What I want added to this Bill is a mandatory limit on batch sizes—restricting them to a maximum of 40 or 50 students per classroom,” the student said, pointing out that overcrowded batches can make it difficult for students to ask questions or receive individual attention.

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With the draft still open for public consultation, the government has specifically invited citizens and students to submit their suggestions and objections before the legislation is finalised. The School Education and Sports Department has said submissions received by 6pm on September 4 will be considered by the government.

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