In 2024, three civil services aspirants drowned in the basement of a coaching centre (left) due to flooding and ‘structural and infrastructure’ deficiencies;
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO
Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Thursday said the government will soon set up a committee to draft a regulatory framework for coaching institutes in the national capital, addressing issues such as student safety, fee structure and infrastructural standards.The announcement comes following judicial and administrative reviews after the Old Rajender Nagar coaching centre tragedy of 2024, in which three civil services aspirants drowned in the basement of a coaching centre due to flooding and alleged structural and infrastructure deficiencies.Last month, at least five students were killed and several others were injured when a multi-storey commercial building in the Saidulajab area near Saket metro station collapsed. The structure housed coaching institutes and cafes and offices, and construction work was under way on the uppermost floor at the time of the collapse.According to a statement from the Minister’s office, the decision was taken at a high-level meeting on Thursday attended by senior officials from regulatory and civic agencies, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Fire Services, Directorate of Higher Education, Delhi Police, Department of Labour, Department of Health and Urban Development Department.The framework is intended to facilitate the shift from a “fragmented civic monitoring towards a coordinated academic and regulatory framework” for coaching institutes, according to the government.A multidisciplinary team will be constituted to formulate guidelines, which will cover areas such as fee structure, student safety and welfare, mental health support and counselling mechanism, infrastructure standards and building safety compliances, fire and emergency preparedness measures, teacher and staff welfare, and standardised working conditions.“Establishment of grievance redressal mechanisms for coaching staff and students will also be looked after by the committee. Periodic inspections and compliance monitoring will strictly be followed,” the statement read.The Delhi government has designated the Director of Higher Education as the nodal officer for drafting the policy.‘Rigorous review’The Minister’s office said the incident at a coaching institute in Old Rajender Nagar, which resulted in the loss of lives, necessitated a “rigorous judicial and administrative review”.“To ensure that such a tragedy is never repeated, the Hon’ble Delhi High Court constituted a high-level committee under the chairmanship of Justice (Retd.) R.K Gauba to examine the vulnerabilities of coaching hubs and recommend comprehensive preventive measures. The Gauba Committee has since submitted its report, identified systemic gaps and proposed a framework for stricter regulation and oversight,” the statement added. Published - June 12, 2026 12:54 am IST
