Coaching centres on Govt radar for asking fee in advance

The government is going to act tough against the private coaching centres in Kashmir which are asking students to pay their fees in advance for the year.
Director, School Education, Kashmir, Aijaz Ahmad Bhat said it had come to his notice that private coaching centres were forcing students to pay the fees in advance and the department would take serious action against them.
“They are looting students. So we are going to take strict action against such centres. We have asked them to take money in instalments but not the whole fee in advance. We need the support of society for this,” Bhat said.
The department has also issued a circular to the proprietors of the private coaching centres directing them to abide by the guidelines issued by the department.
“No student should be forced to attend classes after 5 pm or before 9 am. Also, the coaching centres cannot demand the fee in advance from the students,” reads the circular.
The department, in the circular, has also asked the coaching centres to ensure all facilities, including heating, drinking water and infrastructure, as per SRO 435-Edu of 2010 for the convenience of the students.
Parents and students said that most of the coaching centres in the Valley had failed to adhere to the guidelines.
“Nobody takes the government guidelines seriously because apart from issuing circulars and notices there is no action on the ground. There is no inspection and supervision by the government. This trend needs to end and there must be some accountability,” said Jabeena Kousar whose has paid more than Rs 30,000 in advance for the competitive exam coaching of her daughter.
The schools and coaching centres remained shut for five months due to the unrest this year, but students had paid the fee in advance at their coaching centres. However, they could not avail themselves of the benefits.