Maharashtra tables sweeping bill to regulate private coaching centres nationwide first attempt

Maharashtra has tabled what appears to be India's first comprehensive state-level bill to regulate the country's largely unmonitored private coaching industry. The Private Coaching Centres Bill, 2026, introduced on August 29, 2026, proposes sweeping rules covering admissions, fee structures, safety protocols and student welfare measures that could fundamentally reshape how coaching institutes operate.

The draft legislation includes two particularly significant restrictions. First, it seeks to ban tie-ups between schools and coaching centres, a move aimed at ending arrangements where students are funnelled directly from formal educational institutions into private tuition. Second, the bill proposes to prohibit enrolment of children below 13 years of age, effectively setting a minimum age threshold for access to coaching services. Beyond these headline measures, the proposed law mandates new regulations on admissions processes, fee transparency, safety standards and student welfare provisions, though specific details of these regulations have not yet been made public.

The bill represents one of the most ambitious attempts by any state government to bring India's sprawling and unregulated coaching sector under formal oversight. By targeting school-coaching partnerships, Maharashtra is addressing concerns that such arrangements place undue commercial pressure on students and parents. Meanwhile, the age restriction aims to protect younger children from the relentless academic grind that characterises India's competitive examination ecosystem, where coaching has become almost mandatory for success in entrance tests.

For students and parents, the legislation could mean greater transparency in fee structures and admissions, along with improved safety oversight at coaching facilities. For coaching centres themselves, it signals the end of informal operating norms and the beginning of compliance responsibilities that may require significant changes to their business models. The bill is currently under consideration in the state legislature.