Overview
- The School Education Department posted the Maharashtra Private Coaching Classes (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2026 as a draft in late August and invited comments until September 4, 2026.
- The draft would require centres with more than 25 students to register, give existing centres six months to comply and make each registration valid for three years.
- New student‑welfare and safety rules include a five‑hour daily teaching cap, a ban on enrolment below age 13, a weekly day off, mandatory counselling services and minimum infrastructure plus one month of CCTV retention.
- The bill bars integration between recognised schools and coaching centres, forbids basement operations, restricts hiring of school teachers and people with cognisable offences, and gives inquiry officers inspection and seizure powers.
- Penalties range from ₹1 lakh for minor breaches to ₹10–50 lakh for major violations with possible suspension or cancellation of registration, and the draft follows 2024 central guidelines and the NEET‑UG 2026 leak that intensified scrutiny of the coaching sector.