Of 300 coaching centres in region, only 37 registered

Vikas Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 20

Based on the recommendations of monitoring committees, the Directorate of School Education, Jammu, has granted provisional registration to only 37 coaching centres in four districts of the Jammu region. There are over 300 private tuition centres in the Jammu region.

Of the 37 institutions which were granted provisional registration by the directorate, 24 are in Jammu district, six each in Udhampur and Rajouri districts while one is in Poonch district.

The registered institutes which are located in towns and urban areas have to deposit Rs 5,000 as provisional registration fee while those located in rural areas have to deposit Rs 1,000 by or before August 25.

In January 2018, the then BJP-PDP coalition government had designated the Director, School Education, Jammu, as the competent authority to regulate the functioning of private tuition centres in the Jammu division.

As per the J&K Regulation of Private Tuition Centres Rules, 2010, no private tuition centre can function without taking permission from the competent authority.

Sources said in the same month, all coaching centres in the Jammu province were directed to apply for registration after it came to the fore that a majority of them were not registered and functioning in violation of rules.

They said in April 2018, the directorate had decided that even if the institutions were registered in the region but failed to provide the required facilities, they would either be closed down or not granted registration again.

The coaching centres were directed to fulfil certain formalities while applying for registration which included details of fee structure, proper record of tuition fee in accounting books, monthly tuition fee being charged from students subject-wise, class-wise and course-wise, electricity arrangement, heating/cooling arrangements, separate toilet facility for boys and girls, installation of CCTV cameras, and 10 per cent of total intake in each class for specially abled and orphan students.

“The functioning of institutes in the remaining six districts is being closely monitored. A majority of registered private coaching centres in Doda, Ramban, Kishtwar, Reasi, Samba and Kathua districts have still not fulfilled the conditions laid down by the government to continue the classes,” an official said.