Why has Maharashtra drafted a law to rein in coaching centres?

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Image used for representational purposes only. | Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma

Maharashtra has released a draft law — the Maharashtra Private Coaching Centres (Registration and Regulation) Bill, 2026 — intending to rein in coaching centres in the State, which drew attention during the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.

The draft bill released on August 22 focuses on the prevention of the integration of school coaching centres, the prohibition of coaching centres operating from basements, mandatory registration, regulations concerning fees and safety standards, the implementation of a grievance redressal mechanism, and penalties for violations.

The bill drew criticism from private coaching institute union, calling it “oppressive” and “unrealistic”.

According to the draft bill document, the objective is to “provide a framework for the registration and regulation of private coaching classes, especially concerning the education imparted, the mental well-being of the students, and the facilities provided to them. It also aims to establish provisions for the effective redressal of grievances and related issues.”

The proposed draft bill targets school-tuition partnerships, specifically addressing the school-coaching nexus. It proposes a minimum strength of 25 students to register as a private coaching class. The bill excludes government schools and non-academic activities like sports, dance, art, yoga, and counselling.

The private coaching institutes need to fulfil government-prescribed formalities, covering registration and renewal of the registration certificate. No coaching centre should engage a tutor with qualifications less than graduation, make misleading promises for enrolments, or enrol students below 13 years of age.

The draft bill prevents centre owners from mid-course fee hikes and requires refunds within 10 days if a student withdraws. It focuses on safety measures, including parking facilities, 1 square meter per student, fire and building safety certificates, first aid, clean drinking water, CCTV with 1-month footage retention, separate and accessible toilets, and a complaint box.

It also asks centres to provide a weekly off, no tests the day after a holiday, a maximum of five teaching hours/day, career counselling beyond just engineering/medicine, no batch segregation based on merit, access to a counsellor.

In the wake of the NEET paper leak matter in May, where nine of 13 people were arrested in Maharashtra, with the primary accused being the founder of reputed NEET coaching centres, the state has proposed a draft bill to regulate the operations of coaching centres.

On May 27, the consortium, comprising nine coaching class owners’ associations from across the State, held a symbolic day-long protest at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, demanding mandatory registration of all private coaching classes and penalties for the integration of school-coaching centres.