Mint Primer: Will new ad rules kill coaching centres?

What do the new guidelines say?

The Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisement in Coaching Sector, 2024, released on 13 November, hold coaching centres accountable for false claims about the course duration, number of students, time taken to complete a programme, and advertising a student without prior consent. Coaching institutes will also have to give refunds if they fail to deliver the services claimed in their advertisements. In addition, the institutes will have to specify if their courses are approved by authorities such as the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Also read: IAS coaching centres face closure, licence cancellation for false advertising

How will the students benefit?

Millions of students head to coaching hubs like Kota from a young age, hoping to bag a seat in India’s top engineering, medical colleges or crack the civil service tests. Ads often promise good results, luring many families into believing that sending children to those centres will be sufficient. The infrastructure offered, the qualification of the teachers, the student-to-teacher ratio, and how many have actually qualified every year are not known. At times, a student may be studying at two coaching centres, with the result that both claim credit if the student succeeds. These rules may bring in more clarity.

 

Will coaching centres get impacted?

Yes, because advertising is the only ways to attract students, particularly from tier 2 and 3 towns. According to the founder of a coaching centre in Kota, one of the main challenges that the centres will face from now on is consent for advertisements. “Taking a student’s consent after the ranks are declared is very difficult because they are not in the campus,” he said.

Also read: IAS coaching institutes under CCPA scanner for fleecing aspirants with false celebrity teacher ads

How can promotions be now done?

According to an institute head, coaching centres need to be given time to come up with new ways of advertising. “We will keep the fonts in bold. Cigarette makers have the side=effects displayed in large photos. Does that prevent smoking?” he asked. It is unlikely any disclaimers from their end will or slow down growth, he believes. The prominent centres will have the money to rework hoardings and look at social media or traditional media for advertising. As of now, the guidelines will impact the smaller centres.

Also read: Examination coaching crisis: It’s a monster of our own creation

What led to the regulation?

The coaching industry has come under scrutiny for feeding into the demand and aspirations Indian families have for their children to become engineers, doctors and bureaucrats. Over time, the coaching firms started running schools where students, starting from standard 6 and 7, get trained for national entrance tests. The financial pressure that families come under, and student deaths by suicide in some cases at these hubs, exposed the industry’s underbelly over the last many years.