New norms for coaching centres as Drishti IAS, Study IQ among 9 report more than actual UPSC selections

At least nine coaching institutes in India, including Study IQ and Drishti IAS claimed way more than actual selection for Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in 2023, the government said on November 13. The government said that nine IAS coaching institutes had claimed a cumulative 2,689 selections in 2023 civil services exam, however, only 1,016 candidates were selected in that year. The coaching institutes were found using photos of the same successful candidate in their advertisements.

“In UPSC civil services exam 2023, UPSC recommended a total of 1016 candidates for the various posts including IAS, IPS, IRS, etc. However, if we add from various coaching institutes, it exceeds the actual number of candidates recommended by UPSC by a substantial margin,” the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) analysis said. Vajirao & Reddy Institute, Shubhra Ranjan IAS, Study IQ, Vajiram and Ravi, Vision IAS, Drishti IAS, Next IAS, Shankar IAS and Chahal Academy were the nine institutes that over reported UPSC selection of candidates from their institutes.



The Department of Consumer Affairs has therefore issued guidelines to curb misleading advertisements by coaching institutes. The guidelines to prevent misleading advertisements in the coaching sector are to restrict the use of photos of successful candidates in IAS exams in lieu of monetary gains. Here is look at CCPA guidelines for coaching institutes -The threshold for defining a coaching centre has been set at providing coaching to over 50 students.

-Consent of selected minor candidate will be needed after his/her selection for use of their photograph and testimonial -Repeated violations may lead to penalties exceeding ₹50 lakh, even suspension of operations of errant coaching institutes -Candidates joining government service need to be careful of not violating service rules in case they consent to use of their photograph/testimonial to a coaching institute in lieu of a monetary gain. Meanwhile, the Department of Consumer Affairs has already written to DoPT on this aspect. The guidelines come after action by CCPA in the past year against coaching institutes over fake and misleading claims.

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