Guidelines for ads by educational institutions on the anvil

Tall claims made by mushrooming educational institutes and universities will soon come under the scanner of advertising industry watchdog ASCI.

Tall claims made by mushrooming educational institutes and universities will soon come under the scanner of advertising industry watchdog ASCI,which is working on formulating a set of guidelines to check such misleading campaigns.

After setting up norms for advertisements in food and beverages and automobile sectors,the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) is now looking to crack down on claims such as “the Number One” private University or “We are the best prepare you for the IIMs”,which are unsubstantiated.

“We have been receiving a number of complaints pertaining to advertisements in the education sector. We see a lot of claims made by institutions,which may mislead students and parents. So the ASCI has decided to formulate a set of guidelines for the same,” ASCI General Secretary Alan Collaco said.

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ASCI will soon hold meetings of its key members with an intention to finalise the new guidelines within the next 4-5 months,he added.

When asked about the nature of complaints being received by ASCI,Collaco said: “There are many institutes and universities which claim to be ‘number one’,or they advertise saying that ‘we are the best prepare you for the IIMs’ and other similar claims.”

“These claims may or may not be fair,but they definitely mislead people,” Collaco said. Such complaints are coming from individuals as well as from people within the sector.

Welcoming such a move,Lovely Professional University (LPU),Deputy Director Aman Mittal said: “It is a good step that ASCI is taking. The new guidelines will not only help the students take the right decision,but also the education sector.”

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“Those who are playing a fair game by giving the right information through ads have nothing to worry about,but those who are not,will have to check themselves,” he added.

LPU has a 24,000 students studying at its campus in Jalandhar,Punjab.

According to industry estimates,during the first six months of 2010,the education sector topped the chart in print advertising,leaving behind heavyweights such as FMCG and auto,according to TAM data.

The top advertisers on TV and print in the first half of the current year includes Planman Consultant India,Educomp Solutions,Lovely Professional University,Manipal Group,Career Point,Vellore Institute Of Technology and NIIT.

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