Indian edtech major Byju's said it would stop selling tuition courses to lower-income families struggling to afford them.
The company will begin a new "affordability checks" service before selling education policies or providing loans, Pravin Prakash, one of Byju'' co-founders, said.
The development came after the National Commission For the Protection Of Child Rights ( NCPCR) accused the company of threatening kids and their parents to ruin their futures if they did not agree to buy its courses. It also claimed that the company is purchasing mobile numbers to coerce them.
"We came to know how Byju's buying phone numbers of children and their parents, rigorously following them and threatening them that their future will be ruined. They're targeting first-generation learners. We'll initiate action and, if necessary, will make a report and write to the government," NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo told ANI.
The company, however, denied all charges and said that it relies on app users, walk-ins and incoming requests for consultation, a PTI report figured out.
Prior to this, the NCPCR also summoned Byju Raveendran over an allegation of malpractices conducted by the company's sales team.
Citing a media report, which carried the experiences of some of the customers’ the commission 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 into buying their courses for their children. It has also been mentioned in the news report that some customers have claimed that they were exploited and deceived and had put their savings and futures in jeopardy."
