Govt tightens noose on coaching centres in Kashmir, enforces strict regulations

Srinagar, Dec 06: The government has tightened the noose on coaching centres across Kashmir by issuing a fresh set of strict compliance rules. Under the new directives, institutes must disclose fee structures, publish faculty details, obtain safety clearances and ensure several mandatory facilities.

Sources in Education Department said that coaching centres must fulfil a series of mandatory conditions. These include publishing class-wise and subject-wise fee structures, and separately publishing the academic and professional qualifications of all faculty members in leading Kashmir-based newspapers. The intention, sources said, is to increase transparency for students and parents.

Each Coaching Centre is required to submit building safety and fire safety certificates, along with the latest character and antecedent certificates of proprietors from the Police Department. An affidavit attested by a First Class Judicial Magistrate must also be provided, affirming that no government employee is engaged as faculty in any coaching centre.

Further, the coaching centres must be fully electrified, well-ventilated, and equipped with adequate lighting in all classrooms. They must ensure access to safe drinking water, install CCTV surveillance where necessary, and maintain required security measures. Coaching Institutes are also instructed to place a complaint box or register on their premises to facilitate the resolution of student grievances.

Additional directions include the provision of separate toilets for male and female students, and a compulsory reservation of 10 percent intake capacity for students belonging to BPL, orphaned, or destitute categories. [KNT]