NCPCR summons Byju's CEO over charges of course hard-selling, student exploitation

Byju Raveendran, Byju’s founder and CEO.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on December 16 issued a summon to BYJU’s CEO Byju Raveendran after cognisance of media reports that alleged that the ed-tech company is exploiting students by hard selling and misselling its courses.

In the said media report, some parents claimed that they were exploited and deceived and had put their savings and future in jeopardy. The report also mentioned that the ed-tech platform has been “actively tricking” customers to enter into loan-based agreements for courses which may not be refunded if the customer wished to do so. Further, BYJU’s had reportedly received several complaints from the parents of children but had not done anything about them.

Observing that BYJU's is indulging in malpractices to lure parents and children to enter into loan-based agreements, thereby exploiting them, Byju Raveendran has been asked to appear in person before the NCPCR on December 23.

On December 23, Raveendran will be required to produce “details of all the courses run by BYJU’s for children, the structure of these courses and the fees details, the number of students currently enrolled in each course, the refund policy of BYJU’s, the legal documents regarding the recognition of BYJU’s as a valid ed-tech company and all other relevant documents regarding the claims made in the media report”. He will also have to explain the discrepancies in relation to the said matter.

The NCPCR also warned that if BYJU’s CEO fails to comply with the order, he will be subjected to the consequences of non-attendance.