Maharashtra bans integrated coaching from next academic year
Maharashtra government on Friday announced that integrated coaching will not be allowed in the state from the next academic year. It will be compulsory to attend college lectures and attendance will be marked through bio-metric system, reports said. Notably, integrated coaching is an arrangement between colleges and coaching centres, in which students don't need to attend college lectures.
The state school education minister Vinod Tawde on Friday announced that the government will not allow integrated coaching to continue from the next academic year to stop commercialisation of education. Students will also be asked not to take admissions for integrated courses. While saying that attending lectures at colleges will be made mandatory from next year and bio-metric system will be used to keep a check, Tawde said the state will not take responsibility for those who still opt for integrated coaching. In integrated coaching, colleges enter into an arrangement with private coaching centres, in which students don?t have to bother attending college lectures.  The issue was raised by the BJP legislator Ashish  Deshmukh, who expressed concerns over its misuse.  Replying to the debate, Tawde said, ?Students who secure 96% marks take admissions for integrated coaching. They are charged lakhs. The coaching classes mark their attendance for the college too and based on that they get admission in class 12. But now this commercialisation of education will be stopped.? ?From the next academic year, students taking admissions for integrated coaching will have to be present at colleges for lectures. Colleges will be asked to mark the attendance through bio-metric system,? he added. Tawde said the government will not allow students to appear for class 12 examinations who have taken admission for integrated coaching and remain absent at their respective colleges. "Parents and students must take note of this. The government will not take responsibility of students who will take admission at such colleges,? said the education minister.He also said that changes will be made to the science syllabus of Class 11 and 12 to get them at par with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and help students who want to appear for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) examinations. The difference in the syllabus has been affecting the prospects of Maharashtra students. 