Mental health has moved from the margins to the rulebook of education governance. In Noida, the district administration has ordered stricter oversight of coaching centres, placing student well-being at the centre of regulatory enforcement. The move follows growing reports of academic stress among students across universities, colleges, coaching institutes and hostels, officials said.According to TNN, district magistrate Medha Roopam has directed all educational institutions to maintain disciplined environments, regulated schedules and adequate facilities to reduce stress and safeguard students’ well-being. Reviewing institutional preparedness, the DM said that compliance with safety norms, maintenance of basic amenities and the creation of supportive academic environments would be monitored closely. “The mental health of students is paramount, and negligence at any level will not be tolerated,” she said.
What the new rules demand
As part of the directive, regular inspections of coaching centres have been ordered to ensure they function as per prescribed standards. These include adequate seating, cleanliness, fire safety measures, functional emergency exits and adherence to stipulated class timings. Institutions have also been instructed to appoint trained counsellors, conduct periodic staff training and ensure access to medical facilities.A senior official told TNN that mandatory counselling systems form a key part of the guidelines. Coaching centres have been asked to organise psychological counselling sessions when required, display mental health helpline numbers prominently and constitute internal grievance redressal committees. Awareness programmes for parents are also to be conducted to help them recognise early signs of stress and seek timely intervention.
Surveillance, schedules and stress reduction
To reduce academic pressure, institutions have been advised to review examination patterns and promote sports, yoga, art and other extracurricular activities. CCTV cameras with audio systems have been made mandatory in all coaching centres to ensure discipline and student safety.The district education department has given coaching centres and educational institutions 15 days to comply, after which compliance reports will be reviewed. “The decision has been taken at the state level. All coaching institutes, hostels and educational institutions with more than 100 students must install CCTV cameras in corridors and mandatorily appoint a counsellor for students’ mental health well-being,” said Rajesh Kumar Singh, district inspector of schools, Noida, as quoted by TNN.
Penalties and coordination
Non-compliance will invite strict action, including suspension or cancellation of registrations, Singh said, adding that the education department, health department, police administration and other agencies have been asked to coordinate for implementation.
A national policy reckoning
The district-level push follows concerns that had already surfaced at the national level earlier this year. In November, against the backdrop of rising student suicides linked to academic pressure, a parliamentary standing committee initiated a review of the rapid expansion of coaching centres and the social issues emerging from an increasingly competitive education environment.According to a Lok Sabha bulletin issued at the time, the department-related standing committee on education, women, children, youth and sports decided to examine the proliferation of coaching institutes for competitive examinations and the existing legislation governing them. The panel was also to look into government efforts to strengthen mental health support systems for students in higher education.
Kota and the coaching model under scrutiny
Cities such as Kota, often described as the coaching capital of India, have for years reported multiple cases of students ending their lives due to study pressure. These cases have kept the role of coaching centres in student well-being under sustained scrutiny.It is this backdrop that shaped Rajasthan’s legislative response. In March 2025, the state government introduced the Rajasthan Coaching Centres (Control and Regulation) Bill, 2025, seeking to bring private coaching institutes under a formal regulatory framework. The bill requires mandatory registration of coaching centres, disclosure of fees, and penalties for providing false information. It also includes provisions aimed at safeguarding student mental health and safety, according to the bill placed before the Assembly.The bill was referred to a Select Committee later that month and was passed by the Rajasthan Assembly in September 2025, as per Assembly records. However, it is still awaiting official enactment and implementation, underscoring the gap that often exists between legislative intent and on-ground change.Earlier this year, the education ministry also constituted a nine-member expert committee to examine issues related to coaching culture, the emergence of dummy schools and the effectiveness and fairness of entrance examinations. The panel has been assessing how competitive testing shapes the school education framework and contributes to the growth of the coaching industry.
Noticing what was long normalised
What the Noida orders and earlier parliamentary scrutiny together suggest is a shift in how academic pressure is being acknowledged by the state. Coaching centres, long treated as private academic spaces beyond routine oversight, are now being pulled into the regulatory frame on the question of student well-being.For now, mental health has entered policy language where it was once absent. That in itself marks a change.The harder test will be whether this attention sustains beyond compliance deadlines and committee reviews, and whether it reaches the coaching classes where pressure is felt most intensely.
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