Mumbai, June 30 (IANS) Maharashtra School Education Minister Dada Bhuse on Tuesday informed the Legislative Council that draft bills are being prepared to regulate pre-primary segments and private coaching classes across the state.

Emphasising that the government is making several landmark decisions to bring comprehensive reforms to the state’s education system, the Minister stated that the current focus remains on regulating pre-primary and private coaching institutes, upgrading basic school infrastructure, enhancing teacher training, and modernising the academic curriculum.

It is now mandatory for all private centres providing early childhood education to children aged 3 to 6 to register on the School Education Department’s portal. Following a government circular issued on April 24, 2025, approximately 13,000 centres have been registered on the portal so far, the Minister said.

Minister Bhuse added that a dedicated independent law is being formulated to ensure that young children receive safe, play-based, and child-centric education.

Addressing the regulation of private coaching classes, the Minister announced that Maharashtra will introduce an independent state law after thoroughly analysing the Central Government’s guidelines and existing models in other states.

In the interim, district inspection committees are actively monitoring these institutions under the chairmanship of the respective District Collectors, in compliance with the Supreme Court’s directives.

On June 15 this year, the state celebrated ‘Shala Praveshotsav’ (School Admission Festival) with great enthusiasm, welcoming over 3.5 million students. Moving forward, nearly 400,000 teachers will receive free digital training in collaboration with Google. The department also plans to organise educational trips, parent-teacher meets, and skill-based development activities for students, said Minister Bhuse.

The Minister stated that the first installment of funds for school uniforms has already been distributed, and the remaining amount will be cleared as soon as additional funds are made available. He warned of strict action against anyone found purchasing sub-standard uniforms.

To foster competitive excellence, the government has also introduced a reward scheme under which top-performing districts that improve the quality of education will receive cash prizes of Rs 5 crore, Rs 3 crore, and Rs 1 crore, respectively.

Meanwhile, Minister Ashish Shekar announced that the decision has been taken to conduct the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) recruitment through a Computer-Based Test (CBT) for a fast, transparent, and modern process.

The Minister in the state council explicitly clarified that the government is heavily prioritising the availability of functional toilets, clean drinking water, and safe school buildings across every institution in the state.

Furthermore, the state curriculum is being revised in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP). New textbooks for Grades 2, 3, 4, and 6 have already been introduced starting this academic year. The curriculum for higher classes, up to Grades 10 and 12, will be updated in subsequent phases.

–IANS

sj/dan