New Delhi [India], November 13 : Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has issued guidelines to address issues of misleading advertisements in the coaching sector.
This is part of CCPA's endeavor to safeguard students and the public from deceptive marketing practices commonly employed by coaching centers, Nidhi Khare, Chief Commissioner CCPA and Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs said on Wednesday.
Khare emphasized that CCPA seeks to work closely with industry stakeholders, consumer organisations, and regulatory bodies to ensure effective implementation and compliance with the guidelines in the interest of consumers and public.
She further stated that misleading advertisements in the coaching sector will be governed as per Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and the guidelines will bring clarity to the stakeholders and protect consumer interests.
The latest 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.
CCPA had taken suo moto action against misleading advertisement by coaching centers. In this regard, CCPA has issued 45 notices to various coaching centers for misleading advertisement.
The CCPA has imposed a penalty of Rs 54.60 lakh on 18 coaching institutes and directed them to discontinue the misleading advertisements.
Following numerous complaints registered in the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) regarding unfair practices by various coaching centers especially not refunding the enrolment fees of the students/ aspirants, NCH initiated a drive to resolve these grievances on a mission-mode to facilitate a total refund of Rs 1.15 crore to affected students (during September 2023 to August 2024).
The government said all these refunds were processed promptly at a pre-litigation stage after the intervention of the department to the affected students from all corners of the country who raised their grievances on NCH.
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