Govt issues guidelines to crack down on misleading ads by coaching centres

PTC News Desk: The Centre issued new guidelines on Wednesday to regulate coaching institutes' misleading ads, banning false claims such as 100% selection or 100% job security.

The final guidelines, set up by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), follow many complaints filed with the National Consumer Helpline. The CCPA has issued 54 notices and evaluated penalties totalling around Rs 54.60 lakh to date.

"We have seen coaching centres deliberately concealing information from prospective students. Therefore, we have come out with the guidelines to provide guidance to people involved in the coaching industry," Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare stated.

The government is not against coaching institutes, but the quality of marketing should not jeopardise consumer rights, she said.

The new guidelines ban coaching centres from making false representations about course offerings and duration; faculty credentials; pricing structure and refund procedures; selection rates and exam rankings; and assured job security or salary increases.

The rules describe 'coaching' as academic help, education, guidance, study programs, and tuition, but not counselling, sports, or creative activities.

Coaching centres are not permitted to use successful candidates' names, images, or testimonials without their written consent received following selection. They must prominently display disclaimers and reveal course-related information.

"Many UPSC students clear prelims and mains on their own and take only interview guidance from coaching centres," Khare said. She further advised prospective students to verify what courses successful candidates were actually enrolled in.

The guidelines, which are titled 'Prevention of Misleading Advertisement in Coaching Sector', apply to all kinds of advertising in academic support, education, coaching, and tuition services. However, they do not include counselling, sports and creative activities.