Some Red Tape lined up...

GARNERING SUPPORT

Coaching classes seek greater voice in govt’s draft plan

Anahita Mukherji I TNN

Mumbai: The recent high court order calling on the Maharashtra government to frame a set of rules and regulations for coaching classes has found support from an unlikely quarter—the Maharashtra Class Owner’s Association.
The HC order was the result of a petition, filed by Bhagwanji Raiyani of the Forum for Fairness in Education, against the commercialisation of education by coaching classes. The petition alleged that coaching classes were running a statewide racket, charging exorbitant fees and hiring school and college staff as well as paper-setters who leaked question paspers to students enrolled in such classes.
Now, the Maharashtra Class Owner’s Association wants to be a party to the petition. “We would like to be consulted by the government before it drafts a set of rules on how coaching classes must be governed. After all, we are in the business and know more about how it functions than any outsider would,’’ said Jagdish Walawalkar, president of the association.
He feels that coaching classes should get a fair representation in the rules that have been drafted. “After all, the rules are being made for us,’’ he adds. Walawalkar feels that the charges made against coaching classes in the petition are unfair. “As for coaching classes charging a high fee, there are private schools and colleges that charge a fee that’s far higher than that of any coaching
class,’’ says Walawalkar, adding that coaching classes charge a whole range of fees, and are not always costly.
According to him, it was the state board’s responsibility to crack down on teachers from schools and colleges who worked in coaching classes. “Many coaching classes don’t hire teachers from schools and colleges,’’ he adds.
“We don’t want papers to be leaked either. When has the government caught a coaching class leaking papers?’’ he asked.
anahita.mukherji@timesgroup.com