Are you also tempted by coaching ads that promise “Number 1 results” and claim your child can be the next topper? Or are you confused about which institute your child should trust when multiple coaching centres are showing the same top ranks and success stories? In a space where every institute claims to produce the highest number of selections, it often becomes difficult for parents and students to separate fact from promotional claims. Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on Friday fined two coaching centers Motion Education Pvt. Ltd. and Career Line Coaching (CLC), Sikar, for misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. Motion Education has been fined Rs 10 lakh, while CLC has been fined Rs 5 lakh.The CCPA said the action was taken to protect consumer rights and to ensure that no coaching institute makes false or misleading claims in advertisements. The Authority noted that both institutes had used names, photographs and success stories of students in IIT-JEE and NEET results while hiding key details about the courses those students had actually enrolled in.CCPA took suo motu cognisance of these advertisements after finding that the institute prominently displayed successful students while promoting paid courses, without clearly disclosing which programmes those students had actually taken. It was also found that some students whose names and photographs were used had enrolled after the examinations, making their success wrongly linked to the institute’s programmes. The CCPA further observed that the institute could not provide proper documentary evidence for several of its claims, even after repeated directions.The Authority said both institutes failed to provide proof of written consent from students or parents for using their names and photographs, as required under the Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisement in Coaching Sector, 2024.The CCPA has directed both institutes to stop misleading advertisements and ensure full and honest disclosure in future promotions. However, both coaching centres have challenged the orders before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC).So far, the CCPA has issued over 60 notices to coaching institutes over misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices, aiming to protect students’ interests and improve transparency in the coaching sector. After detailed examinations and investigations, the authority has imposed penalties worth more than Rs 1.39 crore on 31 coaching institutes that offer coaching for exams including UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE), IIT-JEE, NEET, RBI and other competitive examinations.
