The CEO of edtech company Byjus has been summoned by the apex child’s rights body National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) over the claims that the company is engaging in unethical practices in persuading parents and kids to buy their courses.
According to a media report, BYJU’s is dealing with a variety of complaints from customers who claimed that they were exploited and fooled into risking their assets and futures on social networking platforms and consumer websites.
“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 draw parents to buy their courses for their children,” NCPCR was quoted by news portal Livemint.
Credits: Rediff.com
Byju Raveendran, CEO of BYJU, has been called by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to appear before it the next week after taking cognizance of the crisis.
“The Commission is in observance that indulging into malpractices to lure the parents or children into entering loan-based agreements and then causing exploitation is against the welfare of children and in pursuance of the functions and powers under Section 13 and 14 of CPCR Act, 2005,” NCPCR said.
“Under Section 14 of CPCR Act,2005, the Commission has all the powers of a Civil Court trying a suit under the Civil Procedure Code, 1908 and particular, in respect of the following matters- (a) summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person and examining him on oath; (b) discovery and production of any document; (c) receiving evidence on affidavits; (d) requisitioning any public record or copy thereof from any court or office; and (e) issuing commissions for the examination of witnesses or documents,” it said.
The commission later invited the CEO of the company, Byju Raveendran to appear in front of the committee members. He was also asked to bring along the details of all the courses that are provided by the company for the children, the structure and contents of the courses, the fee structure of each course, the total number of students enrolled in each course, and the refund policy of the company.
Furthermore, the Commission asked to submit the legal documents that have recognized Byjus as a valid and trustworthy edtech company.
It also demanded to present all the relevant reports on which claims were made in the aforesaid news report at 1400 hours on December 23 to clarify the discrepancies in reference to the said matter.