THE Centre on Wednesday released new guidelines to regulate misleading advertisements by coaching institutes, prohibiting false claims like 100 percent selectionor100percent job security. Thefinal guidelines,draftedby the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), come in the wake of several complaints on theNationalConsumerHelpline. 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,” Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare told reporters. The Government is not against the coaching centres but the qualityofadvertisementsshould not undermine the consumer rights, she said. Under the new guidelines, coaching centres are prohibited from making false claims regarding courses offered andduration;faculty credentials; fee structure and refund policies; selection rates and exam rankings; and guaranteed job security or salary increases.