Following reports of Byju’s and other edtech companies running misleading advertisements, India Edtech Consortium (IEC) said in a statement that 100 per cent of the complaints it received until June 2022 have been resolved completely while the complaints received in July are going through active screening.
IEC is an industry body formed under the aegis of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) in January 2022.
It added that each member company has appointed a dedicated Grievance Officer (GO) internally to address and assess the problem and offer remedial action accordingly. As a result, the member companies are said to have resolved about 99 per cent of complaints raised in the last six months at a company level.
The self-reported data was presented to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs recently where the government suggested forming a joint working group with relevant stakeholders for strengthening the ecosystem and fostering credibility, trust, and growth.
Streamlining resolution process
The IEC-member companies are also registering at the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) for streamlining the resolution process. It has also commissioned an Independent Grievance Redressal Board (IGRB) that constitutes retired Supreme Court judge, industry veterans and leaders to adhere to the internal code of conduct.
“The edtech sector is extremely dynamic in nature and therefore, to address the rising challenges, what IEC is proactively doing will certainly propel a stronger ecosystem in the coming times. These steps will ensure we reinstate the faith and trust amongst its consumers, the sector deserves,” said the Retd. SC Judge BS Chauhan, Chairperson at the IGRB.
Mayank Kumar, Chair at IEC and also the Co-founder & MD at upGrad, said, “As industry leaders, we take the responsibility very seriously as we understand both — the long-term impact and implications our actions could create on the lives of millions.”
He added, “Edtech as a strong community has been far more responsible and prompt than our traditional counterpart in managing consumer complaints and grievances.“
Published on
July 16, 2022
