Centre out with norms to regulate misleading ads by coaching centres

The Centre on Wednesday released new guidelines to regulate misleading advertisements by coaching institutes, prohibiting false claims like 100 per cent selection or 100 per cent job security.

The final guidelines, drafted by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), come in the wake of several complaints on the National Consumer Helpline. The CCPA has issued 54 notices and imposed penalties of about Rs 54.60 lakh till 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,” said Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare.

“The government is not against the coaching centres, but the quality of advertisements should not undermine the consumer rights,” she said.

Under the new guidelines, coaching centres are prohibited from making false claims regarding courses offered and duration; faculty credentials; fee structure and refund policies; selection rates and exam rankings; and guaranteed job security or salary increases.

The guidelines define 'coaching' to include academic support, education, guidance, study programmes and tuition, but exclude counselling, sports and creative activities.

Coaching centres cannot use names, photographs or testimonials of successful candidates without written consent obtained after selection. They must display disclaimers prominently and disclose important information about courses.

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

The guidelines, titled “Prevention of Misleading Advertisement in Coaching Sector”, cover all forms of advertising across academic support, education, guidance and tuition services. However, they exclude counselling, sports and creative activities.

Khare, who is also CCPA chief, said coaching centres should accurately represent the service, facilities, resources and infrastructure. They should truthfully represent that the courses offered are duly recognised and have the approval of a competent authority such as AICTE, UCG, etc. The provisions are in addition to existing laws.

Violations will attract penalties under the Consumer Protection Act, Khare added.