BYJU’S in a statement has denied the allegation that it purchases students’ databases. We categorically state that we have never bought any database and expect that the media will refrain from making such a baseless and unsubstantiated allegation.
The denial came after Priyank Kangoo, chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) told news agency ANI that NCPCR came to know that Byju’s is allegedly buying phone numbers of children and their parents, and threatening them that their future will be ruined if they don’t buy their courses. BYJU’s CEO Byju Raveendran has been summoned by it, asking him to appear in person on December 23 over alleged malpractice of hard selling and mis-selling of its courses for students.
“The Commission is in observance that indulging into malpractices to lure the parents/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, the Commission requires you to appear in person before it along with the details of all the courses run by BYJU’S for children, the structure of these courses and the fee 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 news report at 1400 hours on 23.12.2022 to explain the discrepancies in relation to the said matter,” it said.
“With more than 150 million registered students and with the top-of-the-mind recall that the BYJU’S brand has in India, we do not need to buy or use external databases. We emphasize that our lead pipeline comprises exclusively of our app users, walk-ins and incoming requests for consultation. BYJU’S is ranked No. 19 in the coveted Kantar list of India’s most trusted brands. We do not need to and we never make cold calls or unscheduled walk-in visits. We strongly refute any allegation that indicates otherwise,” said BYJU’S statement.
