Byju’s denies buying students’ phone numbers

BENGALURU:  A day after the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) claimed Byju's is allegedly buying phone numbers of children and their parents, the edtech company on Wednesday strongly refuted the allegation. 

It said in a statement, “We do not need to and we never make cold calls or unscheduled walk-in visits.”
On Tuesday, the NCPCR claimed the edtech firm is rigorously following parents and children and threatening them that their future will be ruined. “They (Byju’s) are targeting first-generation learners. We will initiate action and if need be will make a report and write to the government,” NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo told a news agency.

Byju’s called it a “baseless and unsubstantiated allegation.” The edtech company, which has over 150 million registered students, said, “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.”

It added that the company 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,” it said.

Last week, the commission asked the edtech firm’s CEO Byju’s Raveendran to appear before it on December 23 over alleged malpractice of hard selling and mis-selling of courses for students. This is not the first time the edtech company is mired in controversy.