AMN
The government has facilitated a refund of more than one crore rupees to students who enrolled for the UPSC Civil Services, IIT, and other entrance examinations at various coaching institutes across the country. The Department of Consumer Affairs today said that over 656 students claimed refunds from coaching centres and private institutions by registering their grievances on the National Consumer Helpline-1915.
Secretary of Department of Consumer Affairs Nidhi Khare said that the government is dedicated to safeguarding the rights of consumers, especially students who invest their precious time and resources in pursuing their dreams. She added that this action reaffirms the government’s commitment to ensure that coaching institutions adhere to fair practices and honour the rights of consumers.
Akashvani correspondent reports that all these refunds were processed promptly at a pre-litigation stage after the intervention of the department for the affected students from across the country.
In its commitment towards protecting consumer rights and ensuring transparency in the education sector, the Department of Consumer Affairs, through the National Consumer Helpline, has successfully intervened to ensure justice for students.
Following numerous complaints registered in the National Consumer Helpline regarding unfair practices by various coaching centres, especially not refunding the enrolment fees of the students, the National Consumer Helpline initiated a drive to resolve these grievances on a mission mode to facilitate a total refund of one crore rupees to affected students from the total demanded refund of 2.39 crore rupees till date. During a short span of 12 months, around 16,276 students reached out to the National Consumer Helpline. The total numbers of grievances registered by the students in 2021-2022 are 4,815, followed by 5,351 students in 2022-2023.