India’s ed-tech segment – including the offline coaching centre segment – went into a turmoil with the sudden closure of several branches of the coaching institute FIITJEE in Delhi NCR and north-India. Apart from speculation over the institute’s financial health following several teachers resigning en-masse over unpaid salaries, sources said closures were accentuated by new safety audit norms that were introduced by civic bodies of the region.

The closure has left hundreds of students in the lurch, with parents protesting against the institute. Several pictures and videos showing the parents protesting outside the institute’s now-shut branches have gone viral on social media.

Many parents have filed police complaints, alleging that the private coaching institution shut down without prior notice or or refunding them.

Sources said, institute closures have been reported across cities like Delhi, Noida, Meerut, Varanasi, Gaziabad, and others.

Community platform LocalCircles said feedback from parents in North India indicates that a large number of FIITJEE centers have unexpectedly shut down. It also pointed out to a larger issue with coaching institutes.

Coaching the classes

In a survey that it conducted, which received 10,000 responses, 58 per cent parents flagged “broken promises, trust and transparency issues” with coaching institutes in the last 24 months. The data showed that 21 per cent parents have had issues with the “teaching staff changes/effectiveness”, while another 21 per cent have had “refund issues”. Some 38 per cent of respondents hinted at “false promises, trust and transparency issues” and 20 per cent of respondents indicated that they had faced all the three issues during the last 2 years.

Sachin Taparia, Founder, LocalCircles said: “There is a broader need for intervention in how coaching classes are conducted, the standards and consumer protection. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs need to work in collaboration and set rules for how the coaching industry needs to operate in India with clear standards, do’s and don’ts. Till that is done, incidents like FIITJEE will continue to occur impacting students negatively.”

Govt crackdown

Incidentally, coaching centres like FIITJEE have also been bearing the brunt of government crackdown following accidents in Delhi and other areas. Safety audits had been carried out and some of the coaching institutes and their locations were allegedly declared unfit and unsafe, leading to sealing of premises or closure of centres.

FIITJEE was started nearly three decades ago by DK Goel, a mechanical engineering graduate from IIT Delhi. The chain of coaching institutes specialises in engineering entrance exam training and also offers NEET entrance coaching. The institute also provides coaching for basic foundation classes of 8,9 and 10 and has a pan-India presence.