Draft Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements in the Coaching Sector 2024

In February 2024, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) released draft guidelines to curb misleading advertisements in the coaching sector. The guidelines aimed to protect students and parents from false claims, exaggerated success rates, and misuse of personal data in promotional campaigns.

Civis collaborated with the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to facilitate stakeholder feedback through multiple channels. Inputs were collected via the Civis platform and WhatsApp chatbot, in partnership with Youth Ki Awaaz (YKA) to reach young audiences, alongside analysis of wider public conversations on social media. Together, these efforts generated over 4,200 responses, including 3,692 through YKA’s Twitter polls, 564 from social media posts, and 28 detailed submissions through Civis’ own channels.

The following recommendations were analysed from citizen inputs:

• Blacklist or suspend repeat offenders and levy penalties proportionate to violations.
• Restrict the use of student names, photographs, or marks without explicit consent.
• Limit the frequency and scale of advertisements, with mandatory disclaimers for claims.
• Establish a grievance redressal council for swift resolution.
• Ensure clear definitions and practical enforcement pathways.