New set of guidelines for the educational sector

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), the apex self-regulatory body for advertising content of the Indian advertising industry, has proposed a new set of guidelines for the educational sector.

The new guidelines will apply to ads of all educational institutions, coaching classes and educational programmes. The draft of the guidelines has been put up for review, feedback and suggestions on ASCI's official website — www.ascionline.org.

The Council has called its members, educationists, institutions and the general public, to send in their suggestions and feedback on the proposed guidelines by September 6 to The Secretary General of ASCI. According to Prof. Dhananjay Keskar, ASCI's Chairman and Director, IBS Pune, who also heads the committee for drafting the guidelines, ASCI has been receiving several intra-industry complaints against claims being made in ads of various educational institutions and many students and parents too have complained against claims made in advertisements by educational institutions.

Guidelines

The proposed guidelines prohibit institutions and programmes from claiming recognition, authorisation, accreditation, or affiliations without having proper evidence. The guidelines also require that the name and place of the Affiliated Institution, which provides degrees and diplomas on behalf of the Advertiser who may not be accredited by a mandatory authority, is also prominently displayed in the ad.

Under the guidelines, educational institutions will not be able to promise jobs, admissions, job promotions, salary increase, and so on without substantiating such claims and also assuming full responsibility in the same advertisement. It discourages institutions from claiming success in placements, student compensations, admission to renowned institutes, marks and rankings, and topper student testimonials unless every such claim is substantiated with evidence.
After September 6, and based on the feedback received from the public and concerned stakeholders, the ASCI Committee will finalise the guidelines and put it up for the ASCI Board's approval. Once the Board approves the final draft, the guidelines will become a part of the ASCI's Code for Self Regulation in Advertising.
source - Hindu Business Line