Day: December 29, 2021

Free Coaching for Competitive Exams

 In order to help the students to practice well for NEET (UG) and JEE (Main) entrance examinations, National Testing Agency (NTA), has launched a Mobile App ‘National Test Abhyas’ to facilitate candidates’ access to high quality mock tests online free of cost. For NEET (UG), 14.11 lakh students have registered in this mobile app for test practice and 81.24 lakh Sessions of Mock Test have been conducted. For JEE (Main), 9.59 lakh students have registered for test practice and 50.73 lakh Sessions of Mock Test have been conducted. In the interest of students including the most disadvantaged, Government has launched Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM), which offers interactive course content such as video lectures, reading material, self-assessment through tests and quizzes and online discussion forum for clearing doubts for students from Class 9 to Post-Graduation. The content can be accessed free of cost by anyone, anywhere at any time. Another initiative of the Government called Indian Institute of Technology – Professor Assisted Learning (IIT-PAL) provides video content in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics prepared by IIT Professors for Class XI and Class XII students aspiring to join IITs and other Institutions. The content is available free of cost on dedicated DTH channels of SWAYAM PRABHA.

Education for poor

 The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, mandates the appropriate Government to provide free and compulsory elementary education to every child of the age 6 to 14 years in a neighbourhood school.Education is a subject in the concurrent list of the Constitution and majority of the schools are under the control of the respective State Governments. Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education is implementing SamagraShiksha to support States and UTs in implementation of the RTE Act, 2009. Ensuring equity and inclusion at all levels of school education is one of the major objectives of SamagraShiksha. The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) shows equitable participation of children belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) in education, which is as under:

 

GER

All Children

SC Children

ST Children

Primary

102.74

113.11

107.11

Upper Primary

89.67

97.07

93.48

Secondary

77.90

83.02

76.72

(Source :- UDISE+ 2019-2020)

SamagraShiksha attempts to reach  out  to  girls,  and  children  belonging  to  SC,  ST, Minority  communities, etc.  SC, ST and minority Special Focus Districts (SFDs) have been identified on the basis of adverse performance on various indicators of enrolment, retention, and gender parity, as well as concentration of SC, ST and minority communities. To ensure equitable education to the most deprived sections of the society,SamagraShiksha has various provisions like free textbooks, uniform, Kasturba Gandhi BalikaVidyalayasfor girls, NetajiSubhas Chandra Bose AwasiyaVidyalayas/Hostels for areas which are sparsely populated with low density of population (mostly tribal areas). These efforts have resulted in increase in transition rate of SC and ST students across all levels of education. The details for last three years are as under:

Transition Rate

(Source :- UDISE)

SC

ST

  

2017-18

2018-19

2019-20

2017-18

2018-19

2019-20

  

Primary to Upper Primary

88.56

88.54

90.64

91.64

90.77

92.38

  
 
 

Elementary to Secondary

86.40

87.08

88.92

85.89

87.52

87.49

  
 
 

Secondary to Higher Secondary

62.99

64.61

68.11

61.74

62.80

62.78

  
 
 

 

A comprehensive initiative called PMeVidya has been started which aims to unify all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education to enable multi-mode access to education. The initiative includes all forms of digital modes to provide wide access – DIKSHA (online), SWAYAM (online), SWAYAM PRABHA (TV), other TV Channels including use of Doordarshan and AIR Networks. Further, PRAGYATA guidelines were issued to States/UTs to facilitate continued education through various modes. The guidelines inter-alia include situations where internet connectivity is not available or available with very less bandwidth, these resources are shared through various platforms like television, radio etc that do not depend on internet. An Alternate Academic Calendar has been prepared for learning solutions for grade 1 to 12 for both children with and without device. Besides these, community radio, worksheets & textbooks supplied to residence of learners, home visits by teachers, community classes, toll free numbers, SMS based requests for audio content, localised radio content for edutainment etc. have been used. The steps taken by all the states and UTs are shown in the India Report Digital Education, June 2020, which is available at the following link:https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/India_Report_Digital_Education_0.pdf

Young and Budding Authors

 As per the announcement of the Prime Minister in the ‘Mann kiBaat’ Talk on 31st January 2021, the ‘Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors’ (YUVA) scheme, a mentorship programme to train young authors, was launched by the Ministry of Education on 29th May 2021 as part of the “AzadikaAmritMahotsav” programme.

The launch of PM-YUVA is in tune with the vision to encourage young writers to write about India’s freedom struggle.  In the scheme, the young generation authorswrite about freedom fighters, incidents associated with freedom, the saga of valour during the period of freedom struggle in their respective areas – as the best tribute to the heroes of India’s freedom – as we celebrate 75 years of Indian Independence.

The scheme is aimed at training 75 aspiring writers below 30 years, who are ready to express themselves and project India and its culture and literature globally. A consolidated scholarship of Rs 50,000 per month for a period of six months per author will be paid under the mentorship scheme in addition to being mentored by eminent authors.

The first edition of the 75 books selected under PM-YUVA Scheme will be published in their original language only.  The books will be translated into other languages on case-to-case basis after publication of first edition, ensuring the exchange of culture and literature, thereby promoting ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’.

Safety of Students in Schools

 Education is a subject in the concurrent list of the Constitution and therefore safety and security of the school children come under the purview of the respective States and UTs.Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education has developedGuidelines on School Safety and Security, which, interalia, contain provisions for fixing the accountability of the school management in the matter of safety and security of children studying in Government, Government-aided and Private Schools. These guidelines have been circulated to all States/UTs/Autonomous Bodies of DoSEL and Stakeholder Ministries on 01.10.2021. The guidelines detail the accountability of various stakeholders and different departments in ensuring the safety and security of children in schools.The guidelines issued by the center are advisory in nature and States/UTs are expected to implement them and they may incorporate additions/modifications to them, if deemed necessary, according to their specific requirements. These guidelines are uploaded on the website of DoSEL at

https://dsel.education.gov.in/archivesupdate?title=&field_update_category_target_id=All.

Studies through Online and Multimedia

 To facilitate the online learning by all students a comprehensive initiative called PM eVIDYA has been initiated as part of AtmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan on 17th May, 2020, which unifies all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education to enable multi-mode access to education. The initiative includes:

  • DIKSHA the nation’s digital infrastructure for providing quality e-content for school education in states/UTs and QR coded Energized Textbooks for all grades (one nation, one digital platform). Till date (25.11.2021) DIKSHA has more than 402 crores learning sessions, more than 4,844 crore learning minutes and more than 2,730 crores page hits with more than 5 crore average daily page hits. A total of 2,27,704pieces of e-contents are live on DIKSHA as on date.
  • One earmarked SwayamPrabha TV channel per class from 1 to 12 (one class, one channel): The same content is simulcast through YouTube and Jio channels, where the viewership as per latest data is 7,48,06,128.
  • Extensive use of Radio, Community radio and CBSE Podcast- ShikshaVani: 3,211 pieces of curriculum-based radio programmes (Classes 1 -12) for its dissemination/ broadcast on 230 Radio Stations (18 GyanVani FM Radio Stations, 80 Community Radio Stations), 132 All India Radio stations, Podcasts on iRadio and JioSaavn Mobile apps.
  • Special e-content for visually and hearing impaired developed on Digitally Accessible Information System (DAISY) and in sign language on NIOS website/ YouTube:  In all 767 textbook based ISL videos recorded. Out of these 510 textbook based on ISL videos are uploaded on DIKSHA. Out of 10,000 word ISL dictionary words, all 10,000 ISL dictionary words have been uploaded on DIKSHA. 3,142 audio books chapters are also uploaded on DIKSHA. The data given w.r.t. DIKSHA usage, includes this e-content.

Conducting all national level examinations in scheduled languages

 The Government has established National Testing Agency (NTA) as an autonomous and self-sustained premier testing organization to conduct entrance examinations for higher educational institutions in the Country. NTA has conducted major competitive exams in the following scheduled languages:

  1. NEET (UG) 2021 in Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi,  Odia, Tamil ,Telugu, Urdu & Punjabi;
  2. JEE (Main) 2021 in Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Hindi, and Gujarati;
  3. All India Sainik School Entrance Examination (AISSEE) 2021 for Class VI in Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Tamil, Punjabi, Telugu & Urdu.

It has also been decided to conduct Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for Central Universities in the above mentioned scheduled languages.

 

The translation of the Question Papers in NEET (UG) had been done properly, from source to target and target to source, in 12 scheduled languages.

Training to teachers on new education policy

 A teacher’s fest ‘ShikshakParv’ was organized from8thto 25thSeptember 2020for discussing various recommendations of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and its implementation strategies. This year also ShikshakParv was organized from 5th to 17th September, 2021 through virtual mode. Policy makers, administrators, academicians, experts, school principals, head-teachers and teachers participated in the ShikshakParv to share their experiences, learnings and discuss the way forward to realise the aspirations of NEP-2020.

In addition, the National Mission to improve learning outcomes at the Elementary level through an Integrated Teacher Training Programme called NISHTHA – National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers Holistic Advancement was launched by the Department of School Education and Literacy.The teacher training modules of NISHTHA have been aligned with the recommendations of NEP 2020.

Further, an online consultation process to invite suggestions from teachers to implement NEP 2020 was initiated at http://www.MyGov.in portal. Around 15 lakh suggestions were received from teachers which were forwarded to NCERT, CBSE and States/UTs.

Developing world-class higher education institutes and Universities

 The Government of India has launched the World Class Institutions Scheme in the year 2017 to enable ten institutions each from the public and private category to have world class academic & research facilities and grant them the status of Institution of Eminence (IoE). So far, notifications have been issued for eleven institutions (08 public & 03 private). Significant amount of autonomy in academic, administrative & financial matters has been provided under the regulatory framework to these institutions so that they can emerge as global educational institutions. Financialassistance of uptoRs. 1000 Crore (over a period of five years) is provided by the Government to each of public Institutions of Eminence.

DIKSHA for children with disabilities

 DIKSHA is the platform for providing quality e-content for school education in States/UTs and QR coded Energized Textbooks for all grades (one nation, one digital platform). DIKSHA complies with World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 level AA. This enables people with visual impairments to access the website using assistive technologies, such as screen readers.

Special e-content for visually and hearing impaired developed on Digitally Accessible Information System (DAISY) and in sign language on NIOS website/ YouTube.  In all 767 textbook based ISL videos have been recorded. Out of these 510 textbook based on ISL videos are uploaded on DIKSHA. The 10,000 word ISL dictionary has been uploaded on DIKSHA. 3,142 audio books chapters are also uploaded on DIKSHA.

67th Convocation of IIT Kharagpur

 The determination of our new generation, spirit of enterprise & innovation and strength of educational institutions has resulted in India achieving many remarkable feats in the 21st century, including administering more than 130 crore COVID jabs, said Union Education and Skill Development Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan at the 67th Convocation of IIT Kharagpur.

Shri Pradhan said as we celebrate Amrit Mahotsav, he feel privileged to be at the temple of learning, a place where many of our freedom fighters, including the great Jayee Rajguru fought for freedom. IIT Kharagpur has shaped the national discourse and contributed to India’s growth since inception, he added.

The Minister stated that there are more than 50 crore children between the age of 3 and 23 and there is an enormous opportunity in equipping this population with the right education & skills. Critical mindset, qualitative workforce will help India to drive the global economy in the 21st century,he added.

Shri Pradhan expressed that low-cost innovative alternative energy models, innovation in specialised areas of semiconductor chip manufacturing will not only lead to economic empowerment and job creation, it will also lead to Purvodaya and a self-reliant India. He further said that life is unimaginable without ‘Energy & Internet’, a fact further accentuated in the present times. By 2035 India will be the number one energy consumer. India’s climate leadership has resulted in our country having the most conducive alternate energy business climate, he added.

Reiterating Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s call for innovation during the inauguration of Kashi Vishwanath Dham, the Minister encouraged the students to ‘Innovate to empower the marginalised’ and to ensure developmental strides in every sphere.

The Minister expressed his confidence that IIT Kharagpur will be the epicentre in adding momentum to the spirit of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and in placing India at the top of the emerging new world order. The intellectual prowess and excellence of students here will make them pioneers of new thought leadership.He extended his best wishes to the students who have graduated today and all the students & distinguished alumni who have received medals and awards.

Technical Learning Facilities

 NEP has Chapter 23 on TECHNOLOGY USE AND INTEGRATION and Chapter 24 on ONLINE AND DIGITAL EDUCATION, where details of all policy initiatives and action points are given. 

The blueprint for National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR) has been launched on 29th July, 2021 by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, with a vision to meet the challenges of the Indian education system, find evolvable solutions for these challenges and create an open, interoperable, evolvable, public digital infrastructure in the education sector that can be used by multiple platforms and point solutions. It provides foradiverse education eco-system architecture for the development of digital infrastructure, a federated but inter operable system that ensures autonomy of all stakeholders, including learners, teachers, administrators including School Boards, Autonomous Organizations, specially States and UTs.

An Integrated Teacher Training Programme called NISHTHA has been launched, it is a capacity building programme for “Improving Quality of School Education through Integrated Teacher Training“.NISHTHA can be accessed from the below link:https://itpd.ncert.gov.in//

What is KAPILA Campaign

 The government has launched a campaign namely Kalam Program for Intellectual Property Literacy and Awareness Campaign (KAPILA) on 15th October, 2020 to increase awareness regarding protection and exploitation of Intellectual Property (IP) and also to provide funding support in order to promote filing of the Intellectual Property (IP)in Higher Education Institutions.  A KAPILA portal has also been launched for this purpose.

Under the initiative, activities like IP Clinic, Case Studies/ Articles regarding Innovation and Intellectual Property and online awareness programs and National Intellectual Property Literacy Week (NIPLW) have been conducted. More than 46,000 users have registered for KAPILA awareness programs.

Providing education to all children

 The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, mandates the appropriate Government to provide free and compulsory elementary education to every child of the age 6 to 14 years in a neighbourhood school.

In pursuance of Section 6 of the Act, the States which are the appropriate Government for schools falling under their jurisdiction, have notified area or limits of their neighbourhood norms in their state RTE Rules, factoring in their State specific condition, for opening of schools.

As reported by States/UTs in their respective Annual Work Plan and Budget, 2021-22, 97.49% and 97.01% of habitations in the country are covered by primary schools and upper primary schools respectively. The habitations that remain uncovered are mostly small or sparsely populated in difficult areas where opening of school is not feasible for which there is a provision of giving transport and escort facility and opening of residential schools and hostels.

Under the centrally sponsored scheme- Samagra Shiksha, financial assistance is provided to States and UTs for undertaking various activities to reduce number of Out of School Children (OoSC) including opening/strengthening of new schools upto senior secondary level, construction of school buildings & additional classrooms, setting up, up-gradation and running of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, setting up and running of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Avasiya Vidyalayas, provision of free uniforms, free text books to the eligible students at elementary level, transport allowance and undertaking enrolment & retention drives. Further, special training for age appropriate admission of out of school children and residential as well as non-residential training for older children, seasonal hostels / residential camps, special training centres at worksites, are also supported to bring out of school children to the formal schooling system. Further, under the student oriented component for the children with special needs, financial assistance is provided for identification and assessment of children with special needs, aids and appliances, braille kits and books, appropriate teaching learning material and stipend to girl students with disability etc.

Also, under ‘Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman’ (PM POSHAN) one hot cooked meal in Government and Government aided schools is provided to students at the elementary level of education. Also, Section 10 of the RTE Act states that it shall be the duty of every parent or guardian to admit or cause to be admitted his or her child or ward, as the case may be, for elementary education in the neighbourhood school.

Under Samagra Shiksha, for the first time in 2021-22, financial assistance upto Rs. 2000 per annum per child has been provided for supporting Out of School Children of age group of 16-19 years, belonging to socio economically disadvantaged groups, for completing their education through NIOS/SIOS, for accessing course materials and certification. Also, under National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme, scholarship is awarded to meritorious students of economically weaker sections to arrest their drop out at class VIII and encourage them to continue the study at secondary stage.

The information was given by the Minister of State for Education, Smt. Annpurna Devi in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

Scheme for attracting children towards school

 The Government of India launched Samagra Shiksha– an Integrated Scheme for school education, w.e.f. 2018-19, as an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class XII, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels of school education, across the country including the rural areas. The scheme provides support to States and UTs for strengthening of infrastructure in schools, universal access, bringing gender equality, promoting inclusive education, quality of education, financial support for teachers’ salary, digital initiatives, implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, provision of free uniforms and textbooks, pre-school education, vocational education, sports and physical education, setting up and running of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas and strengthening of teacher education institutions. Under Samagra Shiksha, an estimate of Rs.1173.37 crore has been approved for various interventions in Punjab during 2021-22.

Under PM POSHAN Scheme, noon meal is provided to students at the elementary level to enhance enrolment, retention and attendance and simultaneously improve their nutritional levels.

Under National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme scholarship is awarded to meritorious students of economically weaker sections of classes IX-XII to prevent their dropout and encourage them to continue to study at the secondary stage.

Further, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) are set up with the objective of providing good quality modern education to the talented children predominantly from rural areas. Around 75% seats are filled by the candidates selected from rural areas.

The information was given by the Minister of State for Education, Smt. Annpurna Devi in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

Advisory to citizens regarding use of caution against Ed-tech Companies

 Given the pervasive impact of technology in education, many ed-tech companies have started offering courses, tutorials, coaching for competitive exams, etc. in an online mode. In this background, the parents, students and all stakeholders in school education have to be careful while deciding on opting for online content and coaching being offered by a host of Ed-tech companies. The decision has to be well considered with several Do’s and Don’ts. Most importantly, the offer of free services that are promised by some companies has to be carefully evaluated. It has come to the notice of the Department of School Education and Literacy that some ed-tech companies are luring parents in the garb of offering free services and getting the Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) mandate signed or activating the Auto-debit feature, especially targeting the vulnerable families.

 

Following are some do’s and don’ts which the stakeholders of the education ecosystem may follow:

 

Do’s

 

  1. Avoid Automatic debit option for payment of subscription fee: Some ed-tech companies may offer the Free-Premium business model where a lot of their services might seem to be free at first glance but to gain continuous learning access, students have to opt for a paid subscription. Activation of auto-debit may result in a child accessing the paid features without realizing that he/she is no longer accessing the free services offered by the ed-tech company.
  2. Do read the terms and conditions before acknowledging the acceptance of learning software/device as your IP address and/or personal data may be tracked.
  3. Ask for a tax invoice statement for the purchase of educational devices loaded with contents/app purchase/Pendrive learning.
  4. Do a detailed background check of the ed-tech company that you want to subscribe to.
  5. Do verify the quality of the content provided by the ed-tech companies and make sure that it is in line with the syllabus and your scope of study and is easily comprehensible by your child.
  6. Do clarify all your doubts/questions regarding the payment and content before investing any amount for your child’s learning in any ed-tech company.
  7. Activate parental controls and safety features on the device or in the app or browser as it helps restrict access to certain content and limit spending on app purchases.
  8. Help your child understand that some features in education apps are used to encourage more spending. Talk to them about possible marketing strategies used by Ed-tech companies and the consequences.
  9. Look for student/parent reviews online on the ed-tech company for any registered grievance and marketing gimmicks. Also, provide your suggestions and reviews which may be beneficial for others.
  10. Record the evidence of spam calls/ /forced signup for any education packages without complete consent for filing a grievance.
  11. Go through the child safety guidelines mentioned in the PRAGYATA guidelines by the Ministry of Education before using any ed-tech platform. (https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/pragyata-guidelines_0.pdf)

 

Don’ts

 

  1. Do not blindly trust the advertisements of the ed-tech companies.
  2. Do not sign up for any loans of which you are not aware.
  3. Do not install any mobile ed-tech applications without verifying the authenticity.
  4. Avoid credit/debit cards registration on apps for subscriptions. Place an upper limit on expenditure per transaction.
  5. Avoid adding your data like emails, contact numbers, card details, addresses etc. online as the data may be sold or used for later scam attacks.
  6. Do not share any personal videos and photos. Use caution against turning on the video feature or getting on video calls on an unverified platform. Keep your child’s safety at the utmost priority.
  7. Do not subscribe to unverified courses because of their false promises.
  8. Do not trust the “Success stories” shared by the ed-tech companies without proper check as they might be a trap to gather more audience.
  9. Do not allow purchases without parental consent. To avoid in-app purchases; OTP based payment methods may be adopted as per RBI’s guidelines.
  10. Do not share your bank account details and OTP number with any marketing personnel. Beware of cyber fraudulent.
  11. Do not click on links or open any attachments or pop-up screens from sources you are not familiar with.

 

The legal provisions for e-commerce firms are being reiterated here for information to citizens who are consumers of EDTECH services.

 

E-commerce Regulations & Redressal System:

 

Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 were notified by the MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (Department of Consumer Affairs) vide NOTIFICATION New Delhi, dated 23rd July, 2020

https://consumeraffairs.nic.in/sites/default/files/E%20commerce%20rules.pdf

 

At present, Ed-tech companies have seen rapid growth thereby increasing the number of students/teachers subscribing to their learning platform. The increasing number also means that platforms must be careful about the claims made regarding the services offered. It is very much evident that the Ed-tech companies which may be considered e-commerce entities have to comply with the Rules to prevent any untoward liability in the future and need to establish a dedicated mechanism in place to check for compliance with the law.

 

  1. No e-commerce entity shall adopt any unfair trade (marketing) practice, whether in the course of business on its platform or otherwise.
  2. No e-commerce company shall falsely represent itself as a subscriber and post reviews about its products or misrepresent the quality or the features of any educational content and its learning tools.
  3. Every e-commerce entity shall endeavour on a best effort basis to become a partner in the convergence process of the National Consumer Helpline of the Central Government.
  4. All Ed-tech companies are supposed to have a grievance officer and the name and contact numbers, and designation of the grievance officer who must be resident in India, to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Act or the rules made thereunder for grievance redressal or for reporting any other matter; to be displayed on the platform or website and ensure that the grievance officer acknowledges the receipt of any consumer complaint within forty-eight hours and redresses the complaint within one month from the date of receipt of the complaint.
  5. No e-commerce entity shall manipulate the price of the products/courses offered on its platform in such a manner as to gain unreasonable profit by imposing on consumers any unjustified price having regard to the prevailing market conditions, the essential nature of the course, any extraordinary circumstances under which the course is offered, and any other relevant consideration in determining whether the price charged is justified; and discriminate between subscribers of the same class or make any arbitrary classification collecting their personal data/breaching privacy through unfair means affecting their rights under the Act.
  6. Every e-commerce entity shall only record the consent of a consumer for the educational product offered on its platform where such consent is expressed through an explicit and affirmative action, and no such entity shall record such consent automatically, including in the form of pre-ticked checkboxes.
  7. Every e-commerce entity shall effect all payments towards accepted refund requests of the consumers as prescribed by the Reserve Bank of India or any other competent authority under any law for the time being in force, within a reasonable period, or as prescribed under applicable laws.

 

Further to complying with the general rules of ASCI’s Code for Self-Regulation in advertising, the advertisements of Educational Institutions including the Ed-tech companies and Programs shall comply with the following guidelines:

 

  1. The advertisement shall not state or lead the public to believe that an institution or course or program is official, recognized, authorized, accredited, approved, registered, affiliated, endorsed or has a legally defined situation unless the advertiser can substantiate with evidence.
  2. (a) An advertisement off­ering a Degree or Diploma or Certificate which by law requires to be recognized or approved by an Authority shall have the name of that Authority specified for that particular field.

(b) In case the advertised Institution or Program is not recognized or approved by any mandatory Authority but is affiliated to another Institution, which is approved or recognized by a mandatory Authority, then the full name and location of the said Affiliating Institution shall also be stated in the advertisement.

(c) The name of the Affiliating Institution, as indicated in 2(b), shall not be less than 50% of the font size as that of the advertised Institution or Program in visual media such as print, internet, hoarding, leaflet, prospectus etc., including television. In audio media such as radio or TV the name of the Affiliating institution (if applicable), must be stated.

  1. The advertisement shall not state or lead the public to believe that enrolment in the institution or program or preparation course or coaching classes will provide the student with a temporary or permanent job, admissions to institutions, job promotions, salary increase etc. unless the advertiser can submit substantiation to such claim. In addition, the advertisement must carry a disclaimer stating ‘past record is no guarantee of future job prospects.’ The font size of the disclaimer should not be less than the size of the claim being made in the advertisements.
  2. (a)  Advertisement shall not make claims regarding extent of the passing batch placed, the highest or average compensation of the students placed, enrolment of students, admissions of students to renowned educational institutes, marks and ranking of students passed out, testimonial of topper students, institution’s or its program’s competitive ranking, size and qualification of its faculty, affiliation with a foreign institution, Institute’s infrastructure, etc. unless they are of the latest completed academic year and substantiated with evidence.

(b) Advertisement stating competitive rank of the institution or its program shall also provide full name and date of the publication or medium which released the rankings.

(c) Visual infrastructure of the Institution shown in the advertisement shall be real and exist at the time of the advertisement’s release.

(d) Testimonial of toppers in an advertisement shall be from students who have participated in the testimony program, exams or subject only from the advertising institute.

(e) An advertisement stating the number of passing out students placed for jobs shall also state the total number of students passing out from the placed class.

 

Government initiatives that may also be explored before the purchase of content:

 

Free e-learning contents/textbooks/digital labs/ for all classes have been made available online ensuring quality and access for all by the Ministry of Education, its autonomous organisations, and all States/UTs which may be effectively used for learning and can be accessed here (but not limited to).