BYJU’S meets NCPCR officials, defends itself on student database buying allegation

New Delhi: Edtech major BYJU’s on Friday filed a comprehensive response to the notice by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) that alleged the company is buying phone numbers of children and their parents and threatening them to buy its courses.

In a meeting with NCPCR officials, the 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”.

The NCPCR had summoned BYJU’s CEO Byju Raveendran to appear in person on December 23 in this regard.

“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,” the NCPCR had said in a statement.

BYJU’S was represented before the commission by Pravin Prakash, one of its founding partners.

The edtech major with over 150 million registered learners said that “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.

“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,” according to BYJU’s response.

BYJU’S 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.

On the question of financing, BYJU’S clarified that it does not directly offer loans to its users.

BYJU’S also informed NCPCR that it has already provided free courseware to more than 55 lakh children from underprivileged families through its Education For All, the social initiative arm.

–IANS