Edtech Industry To Get Govt Support For Framing Rules To Curb Misleading Ads Earlier, on July 1, Consumer Affairs Secretary had called a meeting of edtech companies and warned them against indulging in unfair trade practices, including misleading advertisements
By Soumya Duggal •
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Edtech companies wer directed by the Centre on Monday to eliminate unfair trade practices while extending support to the industry in formalising guidelines to curb misleading advertisements in the segment, according to a recent report by news wire agency PTI.
In a statement, IAMAI (Internet and Mobile Association of India ) said that the self-regulatory body Indian Edtech Consortium (IEC) met with the Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh to update him about the progress of the self-regulation, as per the report.
"...the Consumer Affairs Secretary agreed to support IEC to constitute a joint working group for laying down advertising guidelines for further sanitising the Edtech ecosystem," the Internet and Mobile Association of India said.
It is pertinent to mention that on July 1, Consumer Affairs Secretary called a meeting of edtech companies, and warned them against indulging in unfair trade practices, including misleading advertisements, noted the report.
At that time, the Centre had also told the players that it will be forced to bring stringent guidelines if there is no self-regulation by the industry players. The problem of increasing fake reviews had also been a major point of concern.
The IAMAI statement on Monday quoted the secretary as saying, "We want Indian Edtechs to grow, but until we eliminate the wrongdoings completely, we will not be able to achieve our mission".
"We would like to work closely with IEC in formalising set templates and operating guidelines for Edtech companies to keep unethical practices within advertising and communications at bay. It shall foster a holistic operating environment for both entrepreneurs and consumers to offer a fair chance of growth and learning," Singh said addressing the quorum, as per the report.
Currently, IEC -- a self-regulatory body under the aegis of IAMAI -- comprises Indian edtech companies and represents 95 per cent of the Indian learner community.
The meeting was joined by representatives of IAMAI, along with IEC member companies including upGrad, BYJU'S, Unacademy, Times Professional Learning and; Great Learning, the release said.
