On an average an Indian parent run through approx. rupees 1.50 lakh on a child’s education in india. The Indian ed tech industry is worth 2.8 billion. Byju’s is world’s 13th most valuable startup and world’s largest ed tech decacorn with its valuation standing around $21 billion. In preceding seven years it has acquired more than 10 thriving ed tech startups including whiteHat jr, osmo, toppr and great learning. In india approx. 7.1 cr students take private tuitions which is for sure a good number and its absolutely fine as we cannot expect every child to understand everything in one go. Spending on education is basically not an expenditure but an investment which if invested properly will yield good returns. But what if inspite of spending maximal amount on your child’s education everything goes in vain and he is lost in an unlit and dusty nutshell of education?
INCEPTION
Byju’s first funding came from aarin capital followed by sequoia capital, sofina group, etc. and this decacorn’s turning point was when it was funded by chan Zuckerberg initiative of worth $50 million in 2016 which was alluring for other big companies to invest in this ed tech. It spends more than a half of its revenue in its aggressive marketing, advertisements and on its business development associates. Its marketing strategies are so aggressive that it has now created dominance over the Indian ed tech market having limited players. After covid 19 byju’s revenue and its profits spiked up to a good percentage, although its expenses were also very high including the expenses on employees, advertising, etc. Now byju’s is on its way of creating a monopoly through its aggressive FOMO marketing strategies in the Indian education sector and ed tech industry leaving behind no other option to the bothered parents to send their ward to the so called “FALL IN LOVE WITH LEARNING” institute.
And interestingly, this decacorn’s subsidiaries will make your child learn coding and make apps at the age of SIX only with a package of around 1.2 cr in world’s topmost companies like google, Microsoft, etc. ,yes, that’s what one of the posts of Whitehat jr claimed on social media through its fictional child named as wolf gupta who learnt AI and was sometimes 6 year old or 13 year or 12 year old… and also created fictional linkedin account in this name. Then all the IITs shall be fastened or closed as now you can secure the same package that most of the students of iit’s draw without cracking JEE. Isn’t it? When some social activist and software engineer Pradeep poonia exposed its marketing strategies to trap the parents in their fake web the company filed a 20 cr defamation lawsuit on him, not only this ,the company also removed and deleted his accounts from various social media platforms. By this time, the company also removed the so called wolf gupta advertisements and suspended his linkedin account. Manifestly, a software engineer knows how much skill and proficiency is needed to make apps or complete AI that’s why he protested against the malpractices of the company.
Now coming back to the principle company , its hostile marketing strategies and its egocentric sales person impel the parents to go for their premium plans or purchase a course. The cunning plan of action begins with a free 15 day trial through which it tracks your child’s total potential or records ,how many times your child revisited the lessons or lectures, quiz or tests attempted by him or at what speed does your child views the lectures, and much more. In this manner the company accumulate each and every academic information about your child and presents before parents in a calculative manner and puts up confusing and tough questions which are supposed to be hard enough for the students as a result of which he is unable to answer. As and when the apprehension of their child’s failure is created in the wits of parents they offer there so called premium courses or their tuition classes through which their child will be able to compete with others and his grades will boost up. They make parents feel delinquent and guilty for their negligence and irresponsible behaviour towards academics of their child. On the other hand, many aspirantsof various competitive exam’s shared reviews about the company and highlighted that it only serve limited instructions related with the subscribed course only, which shapes and moulds the intellect of students ill-liberal and precised.
The egocentric sales person in a spree to achieve their aggressive sales targets knows no limits and no ethics. The company on its website points up a facile refund policy , but that’s somewhat erroneous in practical life. Many complaints has been raised on social media platforms and filed in consumer courts claiming that when the respective parents asked for a refund the concerned sales person either didn’t answer their calls or elude their refund, or conversate with them in abusive language. Yes, all of this is absolutely not unrealistic. And the tech giant didn’t stop here, it also extended loans in the name of parents without their approval taking advantage of its tie up with various financial institutions. And if any parent or social activist comes up against the company’s inequitable and unjust practices the company either suspend their accounts or file a defamation lawsuit.
CONCLUSION
The company’s marketing is so aggressive that the complaints, its strategies are not evaluated by the innocent parents , they just pass on their trust to a tutelage where their child is being edified to remain in a dingy nutshell of “LEARNING” and is totally untied and detached with any external education which for sure plays a very important role in a child’s overall development. The time is not far where no matter whether the student is of primary, secondary, JEE, NEET, UPSC or of any other competitive exam he has to only choose byju’s in view of the fact that this tech giant will soon acquire all the topmost ed tech institutions or startups or companies , leaving behind no other option to the aspirant but to join the tutelage and if not denounced for its unfair practices on time then soon there will be only one tech giant in the whole ed tech industry of india putting together the future of the nation possessing finite and restricted proficiency in academics in an ill lit nutshell of education.
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