Under scrutiny, edtech sector forms a self-regulatory body

Chennai: At a time when the booming edtech sector is facing government scrutiny and a regulatory policy is said to be on the cards, industry leaders including Byju's, Vedantu, Unacademy, upGrad, and others have formed a new industry body to self-regulate. Leading edtech firms, under the aegis of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), on Wednesday announced the formation of the India EdTech Consortium (IEC).

The IEC has committed to observe and adhere to a common ‘Code of Conduct’ and establish a two-tier grievance redressal mechanism for consumers.

“Aligned with the government’s recent advisory, the IEC will ensure that every learner shall have access to quality and affordable education, which not only improves their academic performance but also makes them future-ready,” a statement from IAMAI said.

The move comes at a time when the HRD ministry recently released a note warning parents and other stakeholders to be careful while choosing online platforms to invest in for their children’s education. “It has come to the notice of the Department of School Education and Literacy that some ed-tech companies are luring parents in the garb of offering free services and getting the Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) mandate signed or activating the Auto-debit feature, especially targeting the vulnerable families,” the ministry said in the note.

“The formation of this self-regulatory body is an important step towards protecting learners as more and more students, teachers and stakeholders are becoming a part of the online education ecosystem,” Subho Ray, president, Internet and Mobile Association of India, said.

Mayank Kumar, co-founder & MD upGrad, and co-chairperson, IAMAI EdTech Committee, said that it is crucial to foster and sustain stakeholder trust by safeguarding their interest as a practice. “This initiative will go a long way in strengthening the EdTech sector and establishing India as the teaching capital of the world,” he said.

Careers 360,Classplus, Doubtnut, Great Learning, Harappa, Times Edutech & Events, Scaler, Simplilearn, Toppr, UNext Learning, and WhiteHat Jr. are a few other firms part of the IEC.


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