Center publishes new guidelines to combat misleading advertisements by coaching institutes | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday issued new guidelines to undermine coaching centres’ exaggerated claims about the number of students clearing the competitive exams. misleading advertisements by such institutes and forbade them from luring new batches by making unrealistic promises of “100% selection”.
With reference to the analysis of Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), Union Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare told that only 11 coaching institutes claimed the selection of 3,636 students in the 2022 UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE), while the UPSC recommended only 993 candidates. Similarly, in the 2023 CSE, while the UPSC recommended the names of only 1,016 candidates, nine coaching institutes claimed the selection of their 3,636 students.
The CCPA also found that several coaching institutes were using photos of the same successful candidate in their advertisements. The investigation revealed how the institutions botched disclosures of the courses these students attended and their duration.
“We have seen that coaching institutes deliberately withhold information from prospective students. That is why we have created guidelines to provide guidance to people involved in the coaching industry and also to the consumers. We are not against these institutions publishing advertisements. But we want them to be truthful and transparent,” Khare, who is also chief commissioner of the CCPA, told reporters.
The CCPA has issued 45 notices and imposed fines of around Rs 54.6 lakh on 18 institutions so far for misleading advertisements. “Failure to comply with the directive can attract a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh for the first offense and up to Rs 50 lakh for subsequent offences. The CCPA may order the withdrawal of such advertisements and restrain their publication for one to three years,” Khare said.
As per the guidelines, every coaching institute having more than 50 students has to follow these rules. The institutes must make important information public, such as ranking, name and duration of course, including whether payment is made. They must adequately represent the services, facilities, resources and infrastructure of coaching centers. They must seek permission from selected minor candidates after selection for use of their photo and testimonial.
The secretary said candidates joining government service should be careful not to violate service rules if they agree to use their photograph or testimonial at a coaching institute in lieu of monetary gain. The consumer affairs department has also written a letter to DoPT in this regard.