Draft guidelines for coaching institutions to stop deceptive advertising and refrain from making false claims about the success rate or number of students selected have been prepared by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA).
'Prevention and Regulation of Misleading Advertisement in Coaching Sector' committee convened on Monday. Rohit Kumar Singh, Chief Commissioner of the CCPA and Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs, chaired the meeting.
In accordance with the proposed guidelines, the coaching center must provide the necessary details, including the successful candidate's photo, rank attained, course selected, length of the program, and whether or not it is free.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution declared, "Coaching institutes shall not make a claim for 100 percent selection, 100 percent job guarantee, or guaranteed preliminary or mains."
Protecting consumer interests is the CCPA's top priority, according to Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary of Consumer Affairs and Chief Commissioner.
He emphasized the need for clarification, particularly with regard to some issues pertaining to ads in the coaching industry.
Action taken against institute with deceptive advertisements
According to the Ministry, the CCPA has taken action against coaching institutes that use deceptive advertisements.
According to an official government statement, the CCPA has taken action against nine coaching institutes and issued notices to 31 others for running deceptive advertisements.
The consumer body claims to have seen instances of intentional deception by certain coaching centers regarding the courses chosen by successful applicants, the length of time they attended those courses, and the fees they paid.
"CCPA also observed that some of the coaching institutes also indulge in making claims like 100% selection, 100% job guaranteed, and guaranteed preliminary and main examinations without providing verifiable evidence," said the ministry.
The Ministry went on to say that the Consumer Protection Act of 2019 will control the penalties for coaching businesses that use deceptive advertising.
