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Need clarity on reopening classes: Maharashtra’s coaching class owners tell government
The Maharashtra Class Owners’ Association (MCOA), which has around 98,000 coaching classes in Maharashtra under its ambit, urged the state government for clarity
The Maharashtra Class Owners’ Association (MCOA), which has around 98,000 coaching classes in Maharashtra under its ambit, urged the state government for clarity on the syllabus for academic year 2020-21, and when can they start taking classes offline. Officials from the education department did not respond to HT’s calls and messages on the issue.
“When the lockdown began, the government announced the closure of coaching classes along with schools and colleges. We complied with the norms and closed the classes as a precautionary measure. But as the government plans to physically reopen schools in the coming months, it has not given any tentative dates for coaching classes,” said Sachin Karnavat, president, MCOA.
Officials from the education department did not respond to HT’s calls and messages.
Class owners also said they were struggling to teach students without proper information on the syllabus for the current academic year.
“All the other boards have given clarity on what is omitted and what stays, except for the state government. Students and parents are already under stress and so if an announcement is made soon, it would benefit everyone,” added Karnavat.
Several representatives of classes in the city said they had faced business losses by around 60-70% as many students who would have otherwise enrolled in the classes, have not been able to do so owing to financial problems at home due to the lockdown.
“Those who are dependent on the classes for a livelihood, such as teachers, local vendors near classes, food stalls are also affected,” said Prajesh Trotsky, secretary, MCOA.
MCOA has also written to the government, requesting a reduction in the 18% GST that coaching classes have to pay at the moment.
“If this additional burden is reduced, we can further reduce the fees of students,” said Karnavat.
Currently, most coaching classes are teaching students online and are providing e-learning content. Many have also started using several mobile applications to conduct tests online. They have, however, requested the government to allow them to open at least partially, as teaching complex subjects such as physics and mathematics is becoming a challenge in an online-only mode.
