Just six months ago, the Union Ministry of Education came up with guidelines on infrastructure prerequisites, fire and building safety codes, and other standards to regulate coaching centers across the country. However, Tehelka’s investigations revealed that no state and UT is taking these norms seriously. That was enough food for thought for the Tehelka Special Investigation Team to unravel how coaching centers are operating in flagrant violations of the rules and an equal trigger was the observation by the Supreme Court while issuing notices to the Centre and Delhi government that coaching centers had become “death chambers” and in Rajya Sabha, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar asserting that these centres had become no less than gas chambers.
Tehelka’s cover story “Coaching conundrum,” coming in the wake of the tragic drowning of three IAS aspirants at a coaching center in Delhi recently, and amid rising cases of student suicides, exposes how these institutes make a mockery of government guidelines intended to ensure students’ safety and well-being. The information provided by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, in Parliament revealed the massive growth in business of coaching centres — in 2023-24 it had increased 149 times over the previous year. The New Education Policy professed to introduce systems that would reduce dependence on coaching centers, but exactly the opposite happened.
Tehelka’s undercover reporter was told by the owner of multiple coaching centers as to how the government officers come for surprise checks at a particular time and after that, there is no checking. Even if there is some inspection, the officials manage to pre-empt any action. In complete violation of guidelines, prohibiting the intake of students below 16 years in any coaching institute, one can find a large number of students in this age group in coaching centers. The guidelines were issued in January this year following complaints about rising cases of student suicides, fire incidents, lack of facilities in coaching centers, and the methodologies of teaching adopted by them. It is alleged that over 300 coaching centers in Gurugram are operating without the NOC from the fire department.
While our team was working on the cover story, the rape and murder of a post-graduate trainee doctor at a state-run medical college and hospital in Kolkata shocked the nation and triggered countrywide protests by doctors and medical students. Shockingly, countless doctors put their lives on the line to save patients; yet the medical community remains unprotected. Another news unfolded during the same time was Hindenburg Research training its guns on the chairperson of SEBI, Madhabi Buch, and her husband. Hindenburg, a U.S. investment research firm with a focus on short-selling, might not be completely above board itself, but one cannot turn a blind eye to the accusations.
Let’s wait and watch how the government reacts after Tehelka investigations and other developments around. After all, Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion. Will there be the much-needed reforms?
