Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala state child rights commission has recommended the state government to put in place clear cut rules and regulations for setting up and operating private tuition and coaching centres.

The commission said the tuition centres function without having to subscribe to any set of government rules and regulations. The free for all situation has been severely and detrimentally affecting student community. “The government should come out with a legislation for the setting up and functioning of tuition and coaching centres for children. It should be ensured that such institutions are child-friendly,” the commission said.

The commission said its recommendations were based on a slew of complaints it received against the incidents of fleecing and gross violation of child rights at coaching and tuition centres. Though there were laws and rules for ensuring protection of child rights in schools , the absence of the same for coaching and tuition centres was proving to be a matter of grave concern, the commission said. The commission recommended that the general education department should come out with a set of rules restricting the functioning of tuition and coaching centres.

However, general education secretary A Shajahan said the government has set up a mechanism for school education and it doesn’t recommend students or their parents to seek additional coaching or tuition outside the school. “Private coaching and tuition centres thrive because parents think it is appropriate to engage their wards in such centres for additional coaching. In such case, the discretion purely lies with the students and their parents. The general education department doesn’t endorse any such additional tuition or coaching. Since they are not of our scheme of things, general education department is not supposed to take any actions in this regard,” he said. TNN

