Karnataka proposes strict draft norms for tutorial and coaching centres

The Karnataka government has released draft regulations to govern tutorial institutions and private coaching centres across the state, introducing caps on daily operational hours and restrictions on student admissions.

The draft titled the Karnataka Tutorial Institutions or Coaching Centres (Registration and Regulation) Rules, 2026, aims to replace outdated guidelines framed in 2001. The initiative seeks to curb mounting academic pressures on adolescents, eliminate misleading advertising regarding examination ranks, and enforce standardized financial practices.

Under the proposed framework, coaching establishments are prohibited from enrolling children below 15 years of age or students who have not completed their secondary school examinations. Total daily instructional time, encompassing lectures, tests, revisions, and doubt-clearing sessions, is restricted to a maximum of five hours. Centres are permitted to function only between 6 am and 9 pm, and scheduling classes during regular school or pre-university college hours is barred.

The regulations mandate that any establishment providing academic support or competitive examination training to more than 20 students must obtain official registration. Existing facilities are allotted a window of 90 days from the commencement of the final rules to apply through the designated online portal. The registration process carries a proposed fee of ₹15,000, alongside an additional charge of ₹5,000 for every individual course offered. Violations of the prescribed norms can attract penalties scaling up to ₹5 lakh.

Financial transactions within the sector are also targeted for reform. The draft bars institutions from collecting full course fees in a single upfront payment, requiring them instead to offer parents the option of paying in at least four equal instalments. Furthermore, students who withdraw mid-term are entitled to a pro-rata refund for the unutilized period covering tuition, hostel, and mess charges, which must be disbursed within 10 days of exit.

To address student well-being, the rules mandate the appointment of professional mental health counsellors and regular sensitization workshops. Institutions are strictly forbidden from publicly displaying student test scores or publishing inflated claims of guaranteed success. Government school and college teachers are explicitly barred from taking up employment within private coaching facilities.

The Higher Education Department has published the notification in the state gazette, opening the proposals to public feedback and objections for a period of 15 days before finalization.