Edtech customers facing issues; 96% seek government regulation: Survey

NEW DELHI: A majority of people who opted for online classes offered by ed-tech platforms have faced issues around infrastructure required for attending sessions, quality of teachers and refund of subscription fees, a survey report released on Tuesday said. Online platform Localcircles in its survey found that 69 percent of such customers have faced issues.

The survey was conducted across 323 districts between April 1 and May 31, 2022, and received 27,000 responses. "Sixty-nine per cent of those who have taken online coaching-learning classes have faced issues. The question in the survey asked citizens about the kind of issues they or their family members have faced with online coaching-learning classes via ed-tech platforms. In response, 9 percent of citizens said they have faced infrastructure issues, 19 per cent said they have issues with the 'teaching staff effectiveness issues', and 10 percent had 'refund issues'," the survey report said.

It said 17 percent faced all three issues, 11 percent of respondents said that they or their family members faced both infrastructure and teaching staff effectiveness issues and 2 percent faced infrastructure as well as refund issues, while 31 percent of respondents had no issue. About 96 percent of those who have taken coaching or learning classes want the government to make it mandatory for those selling coaching-learning packages or subscriptions to disclose cancellation and refunds policy to every customer and upload them on their websites and apps, the report said.

Also read | Space short, MBBS students of UP medical college allege they took turns to go to class

"Consumers have reported that certain ed-tech platforms are indulging in predatory marketing practices and unethical conduct, which include auto-debiting course fees from parents despite parents stating their wish to discontinue the course. This led to the government issuing a warning against such practices of some ed-tech platforms while mulling a common policy to regulate the industry last year," it said.

Some of the ed-tech firms have formed an industry body to self-regulate -- India EdTech Consortium (IEC) under the umbrella of the industry body Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI). The break-up shared in the report shows that 66 per cent of the respondents want the ed-tech sector to be governed by a government code and 30 per cent agreed to the view that the ed-tech platforms should be governed by an industry or a voluntary code.

Also read | NAS 2021: Class 3 to Class 8, SC, SC, OBC students steadily fall behind peers