Maharashtra Proposes Mandatory Registration, Fee Caps, Counselling Rules For Coaching Centres

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has proposed a law to regulate private coaching centres across the state, making registration mandatory while introducing provisions on fees, infrastructure, student safety, counselling and grievance redressal.

The proposed Maharashtra Private Coaching Centers (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2026, issued by the School Education and Sports Department, aims to create a regulatory framework for private coaching classes, with particular emphasis on students' mental wellbeing, education and facilities. The draft is currently open for suggestions and objections, which the government has said will be considered if received by 6 pm on September 4, 2026.

The proposed law would apply across Maharashtra and would come into force from a date to be notified by the state government. It defines a coaching centre as an establishment providing coaching to more than 25 students, including preparation for academic programmes and competitive examinations.

Mandatory registration proposed

Under the draft, every private coaching centre would have to obtain registration and renew it periodically. Existing coaching centres would get six months from the commencement of the Act to complete registration. Each branch of a coaching centre would be treated as a separate centre and would require a separate registration.

Registration would be valid for three years, with renewal required at least three months before expiry. The government also proposes an online portal through which registration and renewal applications would have to be submitted.

The draft further proposes that tutors engaged by coaching centres must have at least a graduation qualification. Centres would be barred from making misleading promises or guaranteeing ranks or marks to students and parents, and from publishing misleading advertisements about their quality, facilities or results. Enrolment of children below 13 years has also been prohibited under the proposed conditions.

Fee transparency and disclosures

Coaching centres would also be required to disclose key information on their websites, including the qualifications and experience of tutors, courses offered, duration and coaching hours, fees, infrastructure, admission capacity and fee-refund policies.

The proposed law seeks to bring greater transparency to coaching fees. Centres would have to issue receipts for payments, while the declared course fee would have to include items such as prospectus, notes, study material and internal examinations.

The draft says centres would not be permitted to levy additional charges under other heads or increase the declared fee during the continuation of a course. Students discontinuing a course after paying the full fee would be entitled to a pro-rata refund for the remaining period within 10 days. Similar provisions have been proposed for hostel and mess fees where applicable.

Restrictions on school links

The draft proposes a separation between recognised schools and private coaching centres. Coaching centres would not be permitted to operate from the premises of government-approved or recognised schools and colleges.

Teachers working in recognised schools or junior colleges would also not be permitted to work as tutors in private coaching centres. Further, coaching centres would be prohibited from entering into any form of operational, academic, financial or managerial integration with recognised schools.

Infrastructure and safety norms

The proposed legislation lays down several physical infrastructure requirements. Existing centres would have six months from the commencement of the Act to upgrade facilities and complete registration.

Coaching centres would not be allowed to operate in basements and would have to provide appropriate parking facilities. The draft also proposes a minimum area of one square metre per student in a class or batch, along with compliance with fire and building safety norms.

Centres would additionally be required to provide first-aid and primary medical assistance, display emergency contact information, ensure adequate ventilation and lighting, provide safe drinking water and install CCTV cameras covering the premises. At least one month's CCTV footage would have to be maintained.

Separate, clean and accessible toilets for boys and girls would also be mandatory, including facilities accessible to children with special needs.

Limits on coaching hours

One of the key student-welfare provisions in the draft is a proposed limit on coaching hours. Classes would not be permitted to exceed five hours a day and would have to be scheduled in a manner that avoids excessively early morning or late evening sessions.

Coaching centres would also have to provide at least one weekly day off to students and tutors. The draft proposes that examinations or assessment tests should not be held on the day immediately following the weekly off.

The proposed code of conduct also calls for leave arrangements around important regional festivals so students can spend time with their families. Centres would be expected to conduct co-curricular activities and counselling sessions covering life skills, fitness, wellness, emotional wellbeing, teamwork and other areas.

Focus on mental wellbeing

Mental wellbeing forms a significant part of the proposed framework. Coaching centres would be required to establish counselling systems and provide mechanisms for immediate intervention for students facing distress or stressful situations.

The draft allows centres to appoint or hire trained counsellors and proposes making information about psychologists and counsellors available to students and parents. It also calls for sensitisation of tutors towards learning disabilities and prohibits segregation of students into batches based on academic performance, citing the risk of increased academic pressure and its impact on mental health.

The draft also requires centres to counsel students and parents about the difficulty and intensity of examinations and make them aware that enrolment in coaching does not guarantee admission to professional institutions or success in competitive examinations. Alternative career options may also be presented to students to reduce pressure surrounding engineering and medical admissions.

Grievance system and penalties

Every coaching centre would have to establish a detailed grievance redressal mechanism within one month of the Act coming into force and publish it on its website and premises.

Complaints involving offences covered under laws such as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act would require action within 24 hours. Management would also have to provide relevant information, including CCTV footage, to the government in such cases.

Also Watch:

The proposed law gives inquiry officers and appellate authorities powers to inspect coaching centres, seek records and CCTV footage, conduct searches and seize relevant material during investigations. In cases involving serious concerns relating to student safety, authorities could enter the premises without prior notice where they believe an immediate physical inquiry is necessary in the public interest.

The draft proposes financial penalties for violations, with minor violations attracting fines ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. Repeated minor violations could attract fines of up to Rs 10 lakh, while major violations could invite penalties ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.

Authorities would also have the power to suspend or cancel registration, order closure of a coaching centre or recommend derecognition of a school found to be actively involved in violations.

The proposed Act would represent a significant expansion of state oversight of Maharashtra's private coaching sector, moving beyond registration to regulate fees, infrastructure, advertising, teaching practices, student welfare and mental health. The final framework, however, will depend on the suggestions and objections received before the draft is finalised.

To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/