The eight newly formed zonal committees formed across the state to tackle coaching classes will meet for the first time on September 16. ``I am holding this meeting of the concerned committees to discuss various ways in which we can strictly and uniformly implement the rules,'' said the Minister of State for Education, Anil Deshmukh.

The minister said the Mumbai zonal committee, headed by Joint Director of Higher Education R R Pardeshi, had already booked many teachers for secretly teaching in coaching classes, whereas many other zonal committees had not even begun the process.

``Precisely why we want to have some uniformity in our efforts to book the culprits effectively and make it a deterrent for other teachers against joining private tutorials.Last fortnight, we had decided to ask all the teachers to give in writing on a Rs 20 stamp paper that they will not teach in coaching classes. This should be implemented in all the state colleges,'' said the minister.

Earlier, Pardeshi had told Express Newsline that though the Mumbai committee will stop the salary grants of the guilty teachers, the state government will have to decide for how long the salary should not be paid, along with the suspension term.

The President of Forum For Fairness In Education, Bhagvanji Raiyani, is also happy with the government's decision to crack down on private classes all over the state. ``We had recently submitted 20 suggestions to the Education Secretary, Rameshchandra Kanade. We have been assured that the state will consider them at the meeting,'' he added.

Some of the forum's suggestions include providing video cameras to the flying squads raiding the marked coaching classes. The forum also feels that instead of just eight zonal committees there should bemore at district level; and if necessary, police assistance should also be sought.

``The workload provisions under the university statutes allow teachers to work for few hours in the campus and few hours at home; these provisions should also be amended to compel teachers to be on the campus full time so that they have no time to teach in private classes,'' said Raiyani.

The forum felt that the curriculum at all levels should be overhauled since it was overstuffed with unnecessary details and material making examination system better suited for logical thinking. This would automatically wipe out the need of coaching classes where readymade notes are provided to be learnt by rote.