Ranchi, Jan 20 (PTI) Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar gave assent to a bill on Tuesday, paving the way for a regulatory framework for coaching institutes in the state, a statement said.
The Jharkhand
Coaching Centres (Control and Regulation) Bill 2025, which was passed by the assembly in August, aims to safeguard student interests, ensure safety and bring transparency and minimum standards in the rapidly expanding coaching sector, it said.
All coaching centres will be required to obtain mandatory registration through a government web portal within six months of the law coming into force or within a timeline notified by the state government, it added.
“Each campus of a coaching institute, whether within or outside a district, will need separate registration. Franchisors operating through franchise models will also be required to register, with joint responsibility for compliance placed on both franchisor and franchisee,” the statement said.
District-level coaching centre regulatory committees will be constituted, and those will be headed by deputy commissioners. At the state level, the Jharkhand State Coaching Centre Regulatory Authority will be set up, headed by a retired judicial officer.
Applicants will have the right to appeal before the state authority if the district committee fails to approve or reject registration within 90 days.
Coaching centres will be required to appoint at least one mental health counsellor for every 1,000 students, with free counselling services to be provided for at least 200 days. Counsellors will also have to be registered on a web portal.
Coaching centres will be allowed to function only between 6 am and 9 pm and must provide basic gender-specific facilities. Centres will have to display the fee structure on notice boards and publish clear exit and refund policies on their websites.
Use of the term “registered coaching centre” on signboards has been made mandatory.
Institutes making false claims about ranks, marks or success rates, or indulging in misleading advertisements, will face action. While publishing the results of successful students, coaching centres will be required to mention their CED-ID and course details, and obtain written consent from the students concerned, as per the bill.
Every student above 16 years of age enrolled in a coaching centre will need to be registered on a web portal and will be allotted a unique CED-ID. Full-time and part-time tutors will also require mandatory registration.
Coaching centres operating within municipal corporation limits will need to submit a bank guarantee of Rs 5 lakh, those in municipal councils or notified area councils Rs 1 lakh, and centres outside such areas Rs 50,000.
It also provides a grievance redressal mechanism, allowing students, parents, tutors or staff to file complaints before regulatory committees.
Strict penalties have been prescribed for violations. First offence may attract a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh, second offence up to Rs 10 lakh, followed by cancellation of registration.
If a centre continues operations even after cancellation or blacklisting, legal action will be initiated under the provisions of Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita. PTI ANB SOM
