Indian Government Warns Students About Ed-tech Companies Offering Free Online Courses

Indian Government has requested students to do a background check on ed-tech companies offering free online courses

The Department of School Education and Literacy, managed by the Ministry of Education, has cautioned students about Ed-tech companies offering free online courses to students. Th department has advised students and parents to carefully evaluate the offer of free online courses that are promised by some companies as some ed-tech companies are apparently 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. 

“Avoid Automatic debit option for payment of subscription fee. Some ed-tech companies may offer the Free-Premium business model where a lot of their services might seem to be free at first glance but to gain continuous learning access, students have to opt for a paid subscription. Activation of auto-debit may result in a child accessing the paid features without realizing that he/she is no longer accessing the free services offered by the ed-tech company,” said a press release issued by the department.

The Department has also advised students to do a background check on the ed-tech companies offering such courses and have asked students to record the evidence of spam calls or forced signup for any education packages without complete consent for filing a grievance. “Look for student/parent reviews online on the ed-tech company for any registered grievance and marketing gimmicks. Also, provide your suggestions and reviews which may be beneficial for others,” adds the Department of School Education and Literacy.

How Students can Avoid Getting Duped in the Name of Free Online Courses 

Students have been asked to avoid doing the following to ensure that no financial transactions take place without their consent: 

• Avoid blindly trusting advertisements of ed-tech companies.
• Do not install any mobile ed-tech applications without verifying the authenticity.
• Avoid credit or debit cards registration on apps for subscriptions.
• Avoid adding data like emails, contact numbers, card details, or addresses online as the data may be sold or used for later scam attacks.
• Do not share your bank account details and OTP number with any marketing personnel.

Students have also been advised to access free e-learning services being provided by the Ministry of Education such as Diksha, Swayam, and NIOS among others. 

Where to Report Fake Free Online Courses

Students may report any untoward incidences on the following links:

• https://ascionline.in/
• https://consumerhelpline.gov.in/
• https://pgportal.gov.in/