LI NETWORK
Published on: 3 August 2023 at 12:45 IST
The Allahabad High Court has taken notice of the issue of coaching institutes running within the premises of school and college buildings across Uttar Pradesh.
The court has sought responses from both the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Uttar Pradesh Government within ten days, regarding the measures they have taken to control this “menace.”
The bench of Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Prashant Kumar addressed this matter in response to a writ petition filed by Manish Kumar Mishra.
In his petition, Mishra sought a direction to ensure strict compliance with the UP Coaching Regulation Act of 2002 and a CBSE Circular from August 2019.
Mishra, who is a member of the ‘Janki Trust,’ which operates a school affiliated with CBSE, raised the issue that in the vicinity of his institution, several other institutions affiliated with CBSE are running coaching institutes within the school and college buildings.
He argued that this practice is contrary to the policies of CBSE and the UP Coaching Regulation Act of 2002.
Mishra’s counsel informed the court that they had made several representations to the concerned authorities regarding this matter, but no action has been taken so far.
Considering the facts presented in the case, the court directed the Secretary of the State Department concerned and the Secretary of CBSE, New Delhi, to file responses and provide information about the steps being taken to control this situation across the state.
The next hearing on this matter is scheduled for August 14.
Both the CBSE Circular of 2019 and the UP Coaching Regulation Act of 2002 prohibit coaching institutes from operating within the premises of school and college buildings. CBSE had issued the circular in response to complaints about schools running parallel coaching centers during school hours to prepare students for entrance and competitive exams.
The court’s action comes as a step towards ensuring that the regulations are followed and coaching institutes are not operating in school premises, thereby safeguarding the quality of education and adhering to the set guidelines.