Guidelines for “Prevention of Misleading Advertisement in Coaching Sector” , 2024
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has introduced the Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisement in Coaching Sector, 2024, aimed at safeguarding students and the public from deceptive practices in the coaching industry.
These guidelines prohibit false claims about course offerings, success rates, or guarantees of results.
The guidelines will apply to every person engaged in coaching, meaning not just the coaching centers, but also any endorsers or public figures promoting their services through advertisements
Key provisions of the Guidelines include:
- Transparency: Accurate representation of services, truthful use of student testimonials (only with post-success consent), and clear disclaimers in advertisements.
- Accountability: Endorsers of coaching services must ensure the truthfulness of claims they promote.
- Fair Practices: Ban on creating false urgency or unfair contracts and mandatory disclosures of fees, ranks, and course details in advertisements.
- Grievance Redressal: Partnership with the National Consumer Helpline for student complaints.
- Enforcement: Violations will be penalized under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
These guidelines are a crucial step in preventing the exploitation of students and ensuring that they are not misled by false promises or compelled into unfair contracts benefiting both consumers and the broader educational ecosystem.
These guidelines will be in addition to any existing regulations, enhancing the overall regulatory framework governing advertisements in the coaching sector
Source: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2073013