The ₹58,000 crore private coaching industry is becoming a heavy burden on families; what did the government say in Parliament on this issue?

New Delhi: The government informed the Rajya Sabha that education is a subject on the Concurrent List. The central and state governments are working together to ensure quality and development in the education sector. The Union Education Ministry stated that in view of the increase in the number of unregulated private coaching centers and instances of exorbitant fees being charged from students, guidelines for the regulation of coaching centers were issued to states and Union Territories on January 16, 2024.

The government stated that these guidelines include several important aspects such as registration of coaching centers, fee transparency, safety standards, code of conduct, student support, grievance redressal mechanism, and the process for cancellation of registration. Several states have also formulated guidelines and laws at their level to regulate coaching centers.

Union Minister of State for Education, Sukanta Majumdar, informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply that several initiatives have been taken to strengthen school-based education. Under Samagra Shiksha and the National Education Policy 2020, emphasis is being placed on foundational literacy, numeracy, conceptual understanding, and critical thinking among children.

He further stated that through initiatives like ‘NIPUN Bharat’, ‘PARAKH’, ‘Samagra Pragati Card’, ‘Vidyanjali’, ‘Vidya Shakti’, and digital platforms, students are being provided with quality education, career counseling, and free material for competitive examinations. So far, more than 17 lakh students have registered on these platforms, and 400 mentors are available on the platform.

Rajya Sabha member Vivek K. Tankha had asked the Education Minister whether the government is aware that India’s private coaching industry, valued at over ₹58,000 crore (NSSO 2022-23), is placing a heavy financial burden on families? He had also asked whether there are any figures that show that families spend up to 15-20 percent of their income on private tuition? The government provided this information in its written reply.