JAIPUR: In a major bid to regulate coaching centres and tackle the rising tide of student suicides, especially in Kota, the coaching capital of India, the state Assembly put forth the 'Rajasthan Coaching Institute Control and Regulation Bill, 2025' on Wednesday. The Deputy Chief Minister and Higher Education Minister Premchand Bairwa introduced the bill, which is scheduled for discussion in the House on March 21.
The bill mandates that all coaching institutes must register with the appropriate authorities to ensure accountability. It also introduces measures to regulate fee structures and allows students to pay in installments rather than in one lump sum. Also, if a student decides to withdraw from a course, the institution must refund the remaining amount, including hostel and mess fees, within ten days.
Additionally, provisions have been made to offer mental health support, with coaching centres required to provide counseling services and helpline facilities to address student stress and emotional well-being. Awareness campaigns will also be conducted to educate students on handling academic pressures.
Strict action will be taken against coaching centres that engage in misleading advertisements, ensuring transparency in their success claims. Institutions with more than 50 students will be subject to legal oversight, and batch sizes will be restricted, preventing new admissions once a session has commenced. To enforce these regulations, a dedicated authority, led by the Secretary of the Higher Education Department, will be established.
Violations of the bill’s provisions will attract severe penalties, including fines of up to Rs 5 lakh and the potential cancellation of an institute’s registration. If a coaching centre fails to pay the fines, the amount will be recovered as land revenue arrears.
However, a controversy has erupted over the bill due to the removal of the proposed age restriction that would have barred students under 16 from enrolling in coaching institutes. This provision, which was initially included in the draft, was said to be well-aligned with central government recommendations. Surprisingly, it has been omitted from the final version, and has already triggered much debate and criticism.
Experts argue that early exposure to intense academic competition causes undue mental strain on young students. While the age restriction aimed to alleviate this burden, critics suggest that its removal favours coaching centres, which rely on younger students for revenue. The forthcoming Assembly debate will determine whether the bill leans more toward safeguarding student welfare or protecting the interests of the coaching industry.
Besides the general aims of regulating the coaching industry that has grown rapidly, another inspiration for the bill is the growing trend of student suicides in Kota in the last few years. Last year, there were reports of 17 such deaths in Kota, while in 2023, at least 23 students from coaching centres had died by suicide in the city. This year, Kota has already seen seven student suicides since January.
