The Centre on Wednesday released guidelines to prevent misleading advertisements by coaching institutes, prohibiting false claims of guaranteed selections or job security among others.

The move was after the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) received several complaints on the National Consumer Helpline. The CCPA has already issued 54 suo-moto notices and imposed penalties of about ₹54.60 lakh on some of the leading institutes.

“We found that the majority of successful candidates shown in such ads only took free mock interviews from these coaching institutes. Important information such as courses opted by successful candidates was deliberately concealed. We also noticed coaching institutes making false claims such as guaranteed selection, good rank and high mark,” said Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare.

“ This forced us to come out with guidelines to safeguard consumer interests from deceptive marketing practices and to bring much-needed transparency enabling students and families to make informed decisions,” she told reporters on Wednesday. 

The guidelines define the term coaching to include academic support, imparting education, guidance, study programmes or tuitions or any other similar activities. However, they do not include counselling, sports, dance, theatre and other creative activities.

No false claims

It prohibit any coaching institutes to make false claims such as guaranteed selection, job security, job promotions, salary increase, success at different stages of an examination, admission to any institution or lead the consumer to believe that enrolment in coaching will ensure a good rank, high marks. These institutes also cannot falsely represent that the services are of a particular standard or quality or create a false sense of urgency. .

They also prevent coaching centres from using students’ names, photos, or testimonials in advertisements without their written consent and it must be obtained only after the student’s selection. This provision is intended to reduce the pressure students face while enrolling, as they are often pushed into signing such agreements upfront.

Display disclaimers

Coaching institutes must disclose key information such as rank secured by successful candidates, name and duration of the course, and whether it was a paid course along with the candidate’s photograph in ads. They must also display disclaimers and other important information prominently.

The institutes are also bound to accurately represent the kind of service, facilities, resources and infrastructure of their coaching centres. To maintain transparency, they must also “truthfully represent” that the courses offered are duly recognised and have the approval of a competent authority such as All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and University Grants Commission (UGC).

Khare said these guidelines will prevent exploitation of students and ensure 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, an official statement added. 

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