ASCI raps educational institutions

Visakhapatnam: Many educational institutions and coaching centres are facing the heat of the advertisement watchdog, Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), for making false claims through advertisements on various platforms.

The council has upheld complaints against KL University and Chalapathi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Andhra Pradesh as its advertisements made unsubstantiated claims that they provided "100 per cent placement" or that they were "No.1" in their respective fields. It will forward the complaints to the authorities concerned in the government if the advertisers did not take back the claims by making the required changes.

Many reputed coaching centres made tall claims about their students having secured top ranks, displaying their photographs and scores prominently in their ads, but they were unable to substantiate this when the ASCI questioned them. TIME Institute, IMS Learning Resources, Cetking Education and CLAT Possible are others that have been pulled up for this, ending up misleading students.

“The claims that these institutions are making are really giving us a tough time. It’s only after taking admission that we find that things are completely the opposite of what they claimed in the advertisement. Stringent action should be taken against these institutions,” said A Ishwar, who is aiming to get admission into a good management institute.