Madhya Pradesh has brought its private coaching sector under a formal regulatory framework for the first time. The state’s Higher Education Department has notified the Madhya Pradesh Coaching Centres (Registration and Regulation) Rules, 2026, which make registration compulsory, cap daily operating hours at five, bar classes during school hours and require institutes to put key information about fees, faculty and results in the public domain.
The rules are aimed at a sector that has grown rapidly around competitive and board examinations but has largely operated without oversight. The government says the framework is meant to make coaching operations accountable, protect students and help parents make informed choices.
Registration for every branch
Existing coaching centres must apply for registration within 90 days of the rules being published in the official gazette. A registration will be valid for three years before it has to be renewed, and it cannot be transferred. Each branch of an institute is treated as a separate centre, so operators running multiple locations will need an independent registration for every one of them.
Centres whose registration, renewal or continuation is refused, suspended or cancelled can appeal to the divisional commissioner within 30 days of the order. The appeal has to be decided within 45 days of the hearing.
Websites that disclose fees, faculty and results
The most significant shift is on transparency. Every coaching centre will be required to maintain a website that lists its complete fee structure, the names and qualifications of its teaching and support staff, the examinations it prepares students for, the academic support it offers, its exit procedure and refund policy, safety arrangements, facilities, operating hours and a copy of the applicable regulations.
Institutes will also have to publish year-wise data comparing the number of successful students with the total number enrolled in each programme, covering the previous five years or the period since the centre opened, whichever is shorter. The provision is designed to let families judge results claims for themselves rather than rely on hoardings and advertisements.
Student wellbeing at the centre
Given the academic pressure associated with coaching, the rules place strong emphasis on mental health. Centres must give students access to qualified mental-health counsellors, hold regular counselling sessions, stay in touch with parents, follow the state’s mental-health policy and display counsellor contact details and helpline numbers. A formal grievance redressal mechanism is also mandatory.
On safety, CCTV cameras will be required at appropriate points on the premises, though recording is prohibited in toilets, changing rooms and counselling rooms. Institutes must also provide adequate seating, clean drinking water, sanitation, first aid and emergency preparedness measures.
Tutor qualifications and inclusion
A bachelor’s degree will be the minimum qualification for tutors, and anyone convicted of specified offences relating to student safety cannot be hired as a tutor or support staff member. Staff details must be displayed publicly so that students and parents can verify them.
The rules prohibit discrimination in admission and teaching on the grounds of religion, race, caste, gender or place of birth, and bar separate batches on those lines. Institutes are also expected to provide accessible facilities and inclusive practices for students with special needs.
Why it matters
With lakhs of school students in Madhya Pradesh preparing for entrance and board examinations through private coaching, the framework signals a move from self-regulation to public accountability. By pushing fee, faculty and outcomes data online, the state is betting that digital disclosure will do as much as inspection to raise standards, while the limits on hours and the counselling requirements address growing concern over student stress.
Photo: Times of India / Education Times (representational)
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