Over 4K coaching centres in Karnataka, most not registered with Education department

There are an estimated 4,000 private tutorials in the state. But none of them is registered with the Education department in either Mandya or Mysuru district, according to DDPIs of the respective districts.

The situation is no different in the entire state as most of them are not registered, sources in the Education department said.

Although there are provisions for registration of private tutorials under Section 35 of Karnataka Education Act, 1983, and Karnataka Tutorial Institutions (Registration and Regulation) Rules, 2001, block education officers have failed to get them registered.

The rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl by the manager (who claimed to be a teacher) of one such illegal coaching centre in Malavalli of Mandya district seems to be a warning bell.

S T Javaregowda, deputy director of public instruction (DDPI), Mandya, and Ramachandra Raje Urs, DDPI, Mysuru, issued circulars on Tuesday to BEOs, fixing a deadline of two to three days to track such illegal coaching centres.

R Vishal, commissioner for public instruction, told DH that they will come up with a comprehensive circular for registration of tutorials in two or three days.

When asked about the number of such coaching centres and their registration, an highly placed officer said they had not done any survey so far.

“To give a rough estimate, there are over 1.07 crore schoolchildren in the state (including 54 lakh children in government schools). Even if 20 lakh children go to tutorials, with a minimum of 500 children in each tutorial, there are at least 4,000 such private tutorials,” the officer said.

“Besides, there are online tutorials which are registered as companies. There are thousands of housewives, unemployed youth and even employed people who impart tuitions as part-time vocation at home during evening hours or by visiting individual homes. So it is hard to register or keep a watch on them,” officials said.

There is no permission for teachers of government or aided or unaided schools to engage private tuitions, sources said.

A private tutorial owner in Mysuru said they have registered their institute at the sub-registrar’s office as a private charitable trust. So far, they have not been approached by any education department officer, he said.

T Kavitha, a parent, said, “Education department must regulate fees charged by tutorials, besides ensuring safety of kids”.

“In the Malavalli incident, the teacher of the coaching centre was found not qualified. The government must ensure there are qualified teachers in tutorials,” R Manoj, a student said.