Pune | September 9, 2026
Maharashtra’s proposed private coaching regulation has faced opposition from the Professional Teachers Association of Maharashtra (PTAM), which has objected to provisions including a proposed registration threshold of 25 students and a blanket restriction on coaching children below the age of 13.
PTAM said the government should consult representatives of the coaching sector before finalising the proposed law. The association also alleged that the state government had not complied with a High Court direction to hear its submissions, despite repeated efforts to seek a consultation.
The association’s president, Dr Prashant Kulkarni, outlined PTAM’s position at a press conference in Pune. According to the report, the High Court directed the state government to discuss the proposed legislation with PTAM representatives or explain why their views were not being considered.
PTAM has called for the proposed registration limit to be increased to more than 100 students for each branch. It has also opposed the inclusion of home tutors and small coaching centres in processes that it described as unnecessarily burdensome. The association said regulation should distinguish between different types and geographical categories of coaching institutions.
The proposed restrictions on coaching children below 13 have also become a central point of disagreement. PTAM said parents should retain the right to decide whether their children attend coaching classes. It argued that age-based restrictions could affect remedial education, foundational skill development, Olympiad preparation and scholarship examination coaching.
The association said private coaching institutions support formal education by offering individualised academic guidance, remedial and advanced instruction, examination preparation and specialised teaching. It said coaching centres operate across rural, semi-urban and urban areas and have generated thousands of employment opportunities.
PTAM said it supports regulation that is appropriate, balanced and transparent, but opposes provisions that could impose excessive compliance costs or allow arbitrary administrative action against institutions. It said the government should view the sector as both an educational partner and an employment-generating industry.
The association also sought clearer rules for fee refunds. It said such rules should account for expenditure already incurred by coaching institutions on educational material, digital platforms, administrative operations, taxes, financial commitments to teachers and infrastructure.
Dr Nitin Kadam, Vijay Pawar, Hanumant Bhosale, Prahlad Daund and Durgesh Mangeshkar were present at the press conference. PTAM said it was preparing a model law for the sector and reiterated that it wanted discussions with the state government before the proposed legislation is finalised.
