New Delhi: The Consumer Protection Regulator, CCPA, announced recently that it is currently investigating 20 IAS coaching centres for suspected misleading advertisements. They are under scrutiny for allegedly using the names and images of toppers and successful candidates to influence potential aspirants.
During a media briefing, Nidhi Khare, Chairperson of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), revealed that four of these centres.
Khare said, “The notices have been issued in the last one-and-half years for deliberately concealing important information about successful students. We have imposed a penalty on four centres, while other cases are under investigation.”
Many coaching institutes intensify their advertising efforts after the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) exam results are declared. Khare mentioned that, on average, around 900 students pass the UPSC exam annually out of more than 10 lakh aspirants.
In 2022, the UPSC recommended a total of 933 candidates. However, the 20 institutes in question claimed a significantly higher number of total selections compared to the UPSC’s recommendations.
Khare highlighted that numerous coaching institutes falsely claim the same rank holder as their student by withholding essential information. Successful candidates often receive coaching from multiple institutes for various subjects or for preliminary and main exams.
Additionally, these institutes do not clearly disclose the specific courses the successful students enrol in. Some students may have only participated in a ‘free mock interview,’ but the institute still claims success once the students pass the UPSC.
It is crucial to disclose the type of courses that successful students have taken with an institute to protect the interests of prospective aspirants. Otherwise, prospective students might enrol in an institute for preliminary coaching that lacks a good track record of its students passing that exam, Khare said.
Prospective candidates persist in seeking coaching from such institutions, squandering their time and finances, she further emphasised. “If there are proper disclosures, there will be less deceiving,” Khare added.
As per the CCPA, the present market revenue for the coaching sector in India stands at approximately Rs 58,088 crore. Roughly 2 lakh students migrate to Kota in Rajasthan each year.
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