Byju’s to stop selling tuition to lower-income families, start ‘affordability checks’: report

Pravin Prakash one of Byju's founding partners said the company would start carrying out "affordability checks" to ensure it did not sell its courses or offer loans to families with an income of below ₹25,000

Education technology giant Bjyu's has said it will stop selling tuition to poorer families who may struggle to afford it, according to India's child rights body, which summoned the company's CEO on Friday to answer over a Context investigation.

In response to a two-part Context expose of Byju's working culture and treatment of customers, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) issued the summons—saying that the company had "indulged in malpractices to lure parents".

On Friday, one of Byju's founding partners—Pravin Prakash—attended the closed-door hearing on behalf of CEO Byju Raveendran. It is believed to be the first such notice issued against an edtech company in India over its sales practices.

Mr. Prakash said the company would start carrying out "affordability checks" to ensure it did not sell its courses or offer loans to families with an income of below ₹25,000, NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo told Context.

Byju's also put forward a revised refund policy at the hearing, according to Mr. Kanoongo. Context had interviewed several clients who said they had been exploited or deceived into buying courses, and were ultimately left unable to obtain a refund.

"We cannot regulate the functioning of a tech company but the impact of their exploitative tactics was definitely under our purview," Mr. Kanoongo said in a phone interview.

"Children have got some relief today from the psychological trauma they and their families were being put through by the company's aggressive policies," he added.