Delhi UPSC coaching centre deaths: A grim reflection of India’s coaching industry

On the night of July 27, three students died after the basement of a Delhi UPSC coaching centre they were preparing for the civil services examination flooded following heavy rains. The incident sparked outrage across the country and students took to protests outside the renowned coaching centre situated in Rajinder Nagar, demanding justice for their classmates.

The Delhi UPSC coaching centre was sealed following the deaths and the subsequent protests and during investigation, the authorities learned that the basement was being used as a library. When the basement began flooding, the biometric entry and exit points failed to function, leaving students stranded in the flood water.

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According to news agency PTI, the probe further revealed that the Delhi UPSC coaching centre, Rao's IAS Study Circle, had falsely claimed that the basement was being used for parking and as a storeroom, as per the building plan approved in 2021 by Delhi's civic body and the No Objection Certificate (NOC) of the fire department.

After these serious lapses came into the picture, Delhi's Mayor issued directions to civic officials to take strict action against coaching institutes that were flouting the building bye-laws and ascertain if any official was responsible for the incident. Several coaching institutes in the national capital were raided subsequently, and a similar action was also demanded by parents of students who study in major coaching institutes across the country.

‘Dilapidated buildings, no fire compliance'

In Navi Mumbai, citizen groups appealed to the Chief Minister to take action against the coaching classes that were violating fire and safety norms and thereby putting students' lives at risk. According to these groups, many classes are held in parking lots, basements, and illegal balconies in violation of safety rules. There is rarely any action taken despite complaints.

Similar appeals have been made across the state and the capital city of Mumbai.

The parent of a student who attended a coaching institute in Goregaon for government exams until last year said that the building where her son's class was situated is completely dilapidated.

"My son was working and studying in Mumbai. When he was admitted to the centre, he told me that the premises were good. However, he later found out that the place he had visited for admission was different. A few days after attending the classes, he told us over a phone call that the building or a portion of it could collapse at any time. He attended the centre for six months and it was a nightmare for us," said Sandhya Suman, adding that her son moved back to Bengaluru later.

‘Audits conducted but more needs to be done'

One civic official, on the condition of anonymity, said, "During the monsoon, we regularly audit buildings and check their condition. But yes, more needs to be done to ensure the safety of students. We also always respond to complaints. If any student or parent, or even an alert citizen approaches us over the issue of safety in any coaching centre, we will conduct a thorough investigation and take the necessary action."

Before the incident that took place in Delhi, in December 2022, a fire broke out in a private coaching institute in a ground-plus-four-floor building on Umred Road in south Nagpur, where around 50 students were rescued. Three years before the fire, the Sakkardara Fire Station had declared the building of the coaching institute unsafe, but no action was taken.

Amid concerns about building collapses and waterlogging during the monsoon, parents and students are raising concerns about the functioning of coaching classes in illegal structures.

Yashaswi Rathod, a first-year commerce student from Dahanu, who aspires to be a government official, said that she is planning to move to Delhi for her Indian Administrative Services (IAS) training. Following the July 27 incident, her parents are apprehensive about sending her away.

"These incidents happen because those who operate the coaching classes do not take enough safety measures to save money and accommodate as many students as they can. Along with them, the fire and civic officials are also responsible as they choose to ignore the lapses either due to their negligence or because they are given bribes. At the end of the day, the students who enrolled there suffer when such incidents take place. Now my parents are asking me to rethink my decision because they feel even if the coaching institute is unsafe, I might not tell them that," she said.

Ministry of Education guidelines

In January, the Union Education Ministry's Department of Higher Education took into consideration the fact that coaching classes are mushrooming across the country in an "unregulated" manner and issued the ‘Guidelines for Registration and Regulation of Coaching Centre 2024'. The guideline has emphasised the fact that often, these coaching classes lack fire compliance as well as adequate facilities for students despite charging exorbitant fees from them and putting the lives of students at risk.

It also defined a coaching class as a centre run for more than 50 students. The guidelines further state that a minimum of one square meter area needs to be allocated for each student in a batch. The guidelines also state that the coaching centre building must adhere to fire and building safety codes as well as other standards and should obtain a Fire and Building Safety Certificate from the authorities concerned. Coaching centres also need to have a first aid kit and medical assistance/treatment facility, among others, the guidelines added. However, in practice, these norms are hardly being adhered to.

Another parent, Mamata Chavan, whose son attends a coaching class in Pune for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), said that despite concerns about the safety of coaching centres, this issue does not get prioritised for local or state polls.

"No political party or government thinks about the safety of middle-class students. Parents go through a lot of hardships to arrange for the fees of these big coaching classes so that their children have a good future. However, incidents such as the one that took place in Delhi are worrisome and create a lot of fear."