The commission summoned the CEO of Byju, Byju Raveendran, last Friday & requested that he appear in person on December 23 in connection with allegations of misrepresenting & hardselling the company's courses to students.
According to the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), the ed-tech company Byju's is allegedly buying the phone numbers of children and their parents and threatening them that their futures will be destroyed if they do not purchase courses from it.
Homegrown ed-tech company Byju's is facing pressure from many parents of young users, which is causing government agencies to step in.
The National Commission for the Protection of Children's Rights has now revealed that the company targeted 1st generation students, pressuring parents to purchase courses &, in some instances, purchasing their phone numbers.
The NCPCR has taken action, & it will present a report to the government, according to Priyank Kanoongo, the organization's chair, who spoke to the news agency ANI.
On December 23, the commission summoned the CEO of Byju, Byju Raveendran, over claims that he misled students & sold courses aggressively.
"We've learned that the Byju buys the phone numbers of kids & their parents, stalks them relentlessly, & threatens to ruin their future. They are aiming for 1st generation students," Kanoongo told a news organization.
"We will take action, and if necessary, we'll report to the government & write a letter."
Byju's was expanding quickly in India even before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the platform provided a range of courses to students in various regions of the nation. The firm also widened its portfolio through a string of acquisitions.
However, over the past few months, several publications have interviewed some parents whose kids are using the platform to learn about courses. The company recently let go of 5% of its workforce as a result of financial pressure.
"We don't need to purchase or use an external databases because we’ve more than 150 million registered students & top of the mind recognition for the BYJU's brand in India,"
"We emphasize that our lead pipeline exclusively consists of our app users, walk ins, and also the incoming consultation requests."
"On the coveted Kantar list of India's most dependable brands the Byju is ranked No. 19."
"We never make cold calls or unannounced walk in visits because we do not need to. We categorically deny any claim that suggests otherwise." continued the statement.
22 of Byju's customers, many of whom were from low-income homes, were interviewed by The Context (powered by Thomson Reuters Foundation), & they revealed that families have been "aggressively pursued by salespeople of Byju's," some of whom were forced to enroll in the courses.
"Convinced to take out the loans and also ultimately left without money," in the case of other families.
"Byju's staff exploited the parents' desire to provide their kids with the best education possible & also infringed on their privacy by ambushing them in public, pressuring them at home, or covertly collecting their data." also stated in the report.
The Consumer Affairs (CA) division expressed similar reservations regarding Byju's business practices. Byju's has not yet responded to the NCPCR's accusations.
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