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In the wake of several complaints and growing concerns about misleading advertisements, exaggerated success rates, and unfair contracts with students by coaching centres spread across the country, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has issued comprehensive guidelines to address it. As per the ‘Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisement in Coaching Sector, 2024’, coaching centres are prohibited from making false claims related to courses, duration, qualifications of faculty, fees, refund policies, selection rates, success stories, exam rankings, job security promises, and any information that can mislead students with false guarantees and urgency. It’s not only the institutes but also the endorsers who will be held accountable if what they endorse is not accurate. Now, coaching centres are required to partner with the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) so that students can raise concerns or complaints without any hassle. As per the guidelines, offenders will be treated as a contravention of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and penalised.
This is a much-needed initiative from the government of India, a move that will help thousands of students and their families make informed decisions about the institutes they enrol in and prevent exploitation with false promises. It also came just months after the tragic deaths of three IAS aspirants at a coaching centre in New Delhi due to flooding in the basement of the facility, which sparked debates about the amenities provided by such institutes, besides safety concerns and possible deception. The fact is that thousands of students continue to flock to big cities, especially New Delhi, to avail coaching for various examinations, including UPSC and other competitive exams, as well as entrance tests like JEE, NEET, GATE, etc. for admission to various professional courses at prestigious colleges. No wonder coaching centres are thriving and continue to increase even in small towns like Kohima and Dimapur despite high fees. It is a multi-crore industry today. However, the CCPA is said to have found dozens of coaching centres misleading the public, and at least 18 institutes penalised. But this could be just the tip of the iceberg. The concerned authorities should dig deeper to unravel the magnitude of the problem and take corrective measures. And it should be implemented across the country, not just in metropolitan cities. The intention should be to prevent coaching institutes from deceiving students, and not for any other reason. Nobody should be allowed to play with the future of young people by providing false hope and promises.