Atishi: Will bring in law to regulate coaching centres

Delhi government will bring a law to regulate coaching centres which regulate private schools, private medical facilities, said Atishi

The Delhi government will pass a law to regulate coaching centres in the Capital , specifying requirements such as mandatory infrastructure, qualifications of the teachers, and fees, education minister Atishi announced on Wednesday, four days after the death of three students in the basement of a coaching institute after they drowned when it was flooded because of a local downpour.

The road in front of Rau’s IAS Study Circle was again completely flooded on Wednesday. (PTI)

“Coaching industry is spread across country, but no central law has been made yet to regulate them...Delhi government will not wait for central government to make law, Delhi government will bring a law to regulate coaching centres on the line of laws which regulate private schools, private hospitals and nursing homes. The Delhi government will bring Coaching Institutes Regulation Act to regulate all coaching centres running in Delhi for any exams. It will be part of a long term solution,” Atishi said at a press conference at Delhi secretariat.

To be sure, education is on the concurrent list of the constitution , which means both the Centre and the states can make laws on it.

“The law will set the guidelines related to minimum infrastructure requirement. The qualifications of the teachers will be specified. The coaching fees will also be regulated . They will be stopped from issuing misleading advertisements. The process to regulate coaching centres will not be a one time process, but regular inspections will be done,” the minister added.

In the recent incident of the drowning deaths, it emerged that Rau’s IAS Circle, which ran the centre, was using a basement meant for storage and parking as a library.

The Delhi government is likely to form a committee to draft the bill which will ultimately go into the making of the law. The committee will include officials from the Delhi government, the Municipal Corp of Delhi, and the fire department, and students . The higher education department of the Delhi government will draft the bill.

The minister ruled out consultation with the owners of the coaching centres at this time and said legal action should be taken against those who have violated laws. “It is time to take legal action against the owners of these coaching institutes and MCD is also taking action. Their basements are being sealed. I am appealing to the people responsible for law and order in Delhi to take criminal action against the owners of these coaching centres,” said Atishi.

Law and order in the UT of Delhi comes under the Union government , though the Lieutenant Governor.

Although not talked about as a coaching hub in the same context as Kota and Sikar, Delhi, is, in fact, bigger, with tens of thousands of students from different parts of the country coming to the Capital every year to prepare for UPSC , banking, and CA exams among others. Neighbourhoods such as Rajendra Nagar, where the drowning incident happened, Mukherjee Nagar, Preet Vihar, and Laxmi Nagar have emerged hubs for the coaching business.

The minister released an email ID (coaching.law.feedback@gmail.com) and urged people to share feedback which can be considered in the drafting of the bill.

Atishi, her fellow ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Gopal Rai, mayor Shelly Oberoi., and Delhi government officers met with a group of UPSC aspirants in Delhi secretariat on Wednesday afternoon.

“...today we listened to the problems of the students and took their feedback... Students have put forward many issues before us such as those related to infrastructure and fees.… We have assured the students that a solution will definitely be found,” Atishi said after the meeting.

Since Saturday’s drowning, MCD  sealed basements of 30 coaching institutes and issued notices to 200 for violations, said Oberoi.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva asked why the AAP government did not bother to come up with such a law over the past 10 years. “Even after four days of the Rajendra Nagar incident, not a single minister of the AAP government has dared to go there. Those who are talking about bringing the Coaching Act today should know that this should have been done 10 years ago.”

The BJP leader claimed that AAP leaders were just trying to avoid taking responsibility for the incident.