Special Correspondent | Mumbai
Mumbai: In a decisive move to regulate the growing nexus between colleges and private coaching institutes, Maharashtra’s School Education Minister Dada Bhuse announced in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday that the state government will soon introduce a new law aimed at breaking these unethical partnerships. The proposed legislation will ensure that colleges bear full academic responsibility and do not outsource teaching to private coaching centers, thus restoring the autonomy and accountability of higher education institutions.
Minister Bhuse emphasized that the law will hold colleges directly accountable for imparting education and prevent them from functioning as mere conduits for coaching centers. “We want to ensure that colleges conduct their academic activities independently, and do not act as front offices for private coaching businesses,” he stated.
In a related development, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil informed the House that recognition of 16 B.Ed. colleges across Maharashtra has been revoked. These colleges failed to submit mandatory assessment and accreditation reports within the stipulated time, triggering disciplinary action. Among these, 7 colleges have completely shut operations, impacting nearly 500 students.
However, Minister Patil assured that all affected students will be adjusted into other recognized institutions so that their academic progress remains uninterrupted.
Education Minister Bhuse also touched upon another pressing issue — the exorbitant and hidden fees often levied by schools under various pretexts, apart from the tuition fees. He assured the Assembly that the government is in the process of amending rules to regulate non-tuition charges collected by schools, in order to prevent financial exploitation of parents.
The issue of college-coaching collaboration was raised by NCP MLA Hiramani Khoskar, who flagged concerns over how many private colleges are being reduced to admission and attendance certificate centers, while actual teaching is conducted off-campus by commercial coaching classes. He demanded strong legal intervention to stop this malpractice and protect the academic integrity of higher education in Maharashtra.
In recent years, many self-financed colleges in the state, especially those offering engineering, B.Ed., and management degrees, have been accused of entering into informal arrangements with private coaching institutes. Students are often lured with promises of degree certificates while the actual teaching is outsourced. This not only undermines the purpose of college education but also burdens families with dual fee structures.
The proposed law is expected to address these challenges by:
Prohibiting colleges from outsourcing academics to coaching centers
Making it mandatory for colleges to conduct classes as per university norms
Penalizing institutions that act as dummy colleges
Ensuring transparent fee structures to prevent parental exploitation
