EdTech major BYJU's filed a comprehensive response to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) notice which alleged that the company is buying phone numbers of students and their parents and threatening them to buy their courses.
In a meeting with NCPCR officials, BYJU's representatives said that the commission issued a summon on the basis of a single report that "makes sweeping generalisations based on unnamed sources which comprise an infinitesimal fraction of its large user base", as stated in a report by PTI.
What did NCPCR's notice say?
In this regard, CEO of BYJU's Raveendran Byju was summoned by NCPCR to appear in person today, December 23. In a statement issued by NCPCR, it said, "As the Commission has come across a news article wherein it has been pointed out that the sales team of BYJU'S is indulging in malpractices to lure parents to buy their courses for their children. It has also been mentioned in the news report that some customers have also claimed that they were exploited and deceived, and had put their savings and futures in jeopardy."
BYJU'S was represented before the commission by Pravin Prakash, one of its founding partners. Defending itself, the EdTech start-up said, "it's not possible for it to verify the authenticity of the article because the said media house has refused to share either the data points it referred to, or the sampling methods it used to select those data points". The company also said that the question of "mis-selling" does not arise because its sales professionals do not have the authority to close the sale of a product at the point of sale, it added.
As per BYJU's response, "By design, every sale is un-approved until it is verified by a triple-layered audit mechanism that reaches out to the interested customer through SMS, audio and video calls. The completion of a sale happens at the central level." Further, it said it does not encourage, order or incentivise its sales staff and/or managers to pursue customers who are uninterested in or unable to pay for its products.
When questioned about financing, BYJU'S cleared the air by saying that it does not directly offer loans to its users. Further, BYJU'S also informed NCPCR that it has already provided free courseware to more than 55 lakh children from underprivileged families through Education For All, its social initiative arm, as stated in a report by PTI.
