The Alleged Scam of Whitehat Jr and BYJU’s: An In-Depth Analysis
Before the Allegations
Whitehat Jr, a 1:1 platform founded in 2018 by Karan Bajaj, aims to teach crucial subjects like coding to children aged between 5-12. After being acquired by BYJU’s on August 11, 2020, Whitehat Jr became part of a growing list of acquisitions under BYJU’s umbrella. Notable acquisitions include Aakash Educational Services, Great Learning, Epic, Tynker, and Scholr, among others. This acquisition spree has been described as a move to monopolize the Indian ed-tech space.
Whitehat Jr’s marketing has been heavily reliant on star power and fictional narratives. Stars like Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Shikhar Dhawan have endorsed the platform, and the company claims that fictional characters like Wolf Gupta and Chintu have received substantial endorsements from tech giants like Google and Microsoft. These narratives suggest that non-participation in the platform could lead to future competition and missed opportunities.
The Scrutiny and Controversy
The aggressive advertising campaign sparked scrutiny from the Advertising Standard Council of India (ASCI) by October, with 15 complaints leading to the request for Whitehat Jr to pull its ads. The company offered lucrative opportunities like trips to NASA and meetings with tech company CEO’s, creating a sense of fear of missing out (FOMO) among parents.
However, this marketing strategy faced backlash from tech professionals on social media. Revolters such as Pradeep Poonia, a software engineer at Cisco, and Aniruddha Malpani, an angel investor and IVF specialist, openly criticized Whitehat Jr. Parents also claimed that sales tactics, including scholarship-for-credit and high-pressure sales pitches, were fraudulent. Whitehat Jr responded by taking down critical posts on social media and filing defamatory lawsuits against the critics.
Questioning the Claims and Credibility
The credibility of Whitehat Jr’s teachers has been heavily questioned. Many videos have surfaced showing that teachers lacked genuine coding experience. Job listings for Whitehat Jr even explicitly state that no prior coding experience is required. This raises questions about the authenticity of claims of high package deals for graduates of the program.
Coding is often best learned through self-practice and exploration. Much of the learning resources and coding blocks used by Whitehat Jr are freely available online. For instance, websites like blocky offer free access to similar resources, negating the need to pay substantial fees.
Additionally, some parents reported that salespeople pressured them into subscribing to the paid plan, even if they were unable to meet their basic financial needs. Financial fraud accusations, while serious, have not been definitively proven, though the methods used raise concerns.
The Long-Term Implications
As the Indian ed-tech market continues to grow, such practices have the potential to harm both the industry and its consumers. While the Indian government could impose regulations to prevent such practices, parents must exercise caution and keep a critical mind. Letting your child explore various hobbies and allowing them to make their own decisions about their future remains the best policy.
Conclusion
The controversy surrounding Whitehat Jr and BYJU’s highlights the need for transparency and ethical business practices in the ed-tech industry. For parents and educators looking for genuine coding resources, it’s important to do due diligence and consider free and open resources over potentially fraudulent promotions.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is based on publicly available data. Neither the author nor the publication is liable for any action taken based on the information presented.