New Delhi: Delhi government will draft a law to regulate coaching centres in the Capital, Revenue Minister Atishi and Mayor Shelly Oberoi said in a press conference Wednesday, adding that a five-member committee will oversee the drafting of the legislation.
The announcement comes in the wake of the deaths of three aspiring civil servants, who drowned in the flooded basement of the Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar Saturday evening.
While many coaching centres welcomed the announcement by the Delhi government, some argued that the proposed legislation would have ‘limited applicability’.
“Bringing in legislation will have limited applicability because the core issue lies in the infrastructural decay of the city. Old Rajinder Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar aren’t the only areas facing this problem, multiple places in Delhi have seen growth outpacing infrastructural development. Addressing (concerns) only in these areas won’t solve the broader issue,” said public policy adviser and UPSC mentor Deepanshu Singh.
Though he agreed that the fee charged by coaching centres must be reduced, Singh pointed out that “it is crucial to recognize they are linked to overpriced property rates in the area”.
“Moreover, how do they plan to regulate teacher eligibility and fees? Select officers coming in to teach aspirants adds another layer of complexity. Deeper issues must be identified and fixed for any meaningful change,” he added.
Management of a reputed coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar, too, welcomed the step.
“A grievance redressal cell should be there so that all students can raise their concerns. We should provide a safe learning environment. All the stakeholders should be involved in this,” a member of the senior management told ThePrint on condition of anonymity.
There are also those who believe the government can emulate the Pratap Nagar model in Jaipur.
“Old Rajinder Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar coaching hubs have far exceeded their carrying capacity. The hubs are wholly inadequate and insufficient to support safe learning needs of aspirants. Government should work to establish new coaching infrastructure with requisite and ample facilities. Jaipur’s Pratap Nagar model needs to be emulated in Delhi,” said Furqan Hashmi, associate director, StudyIQ.
During the press conference Wednesday, Atishi also said that the Delhi government was hoping the Centre would come up with a law to regulate coaching centres after the tragedy, but it didn’t. “This act will have infrastructural norms, teachers’ qualifications will be specified, fees will be regulated, and coaching centres will be stopped from disseminating misleading information… There will be regular inspections,” she added.
She stressed that the proposed law will be drafted after taking feedback from students and coaching centres.
Atishi also said that no officer responsible for the deaths of three UPSC students will be spared. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has since Sunday sealed the basements of 30 coaching centres. “We have seen how coaching institutes blatantly violate MCD building bylaws and rules and regulations,” said Mayor Oberoi.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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