Last week, a LinkedIn post by a 12th-grade Student went viral. In her Post, Yashika Chanana, a 17-year-old, claimed that She was scammed by a Learning Organisation for a Psychology Course. Her posts have since sparked discussions in the Community.
Yashika Chanana wrote in her LinkedIn post, “In August, I saw a post of counsel India on Instagram that there is a free webinar of psychology with top counsellors of India. So without any hesitation I applied for that.”.
She wrote that She was contacted by a counsellor, who promised discounted rates on a course. She showed her interest in the course and promised to enrol after her boards were over. “But he kept insisting me”, she wrote. They asked for a registration amount of ₹10,000.
“.. the game changed when I started getting calls from the propelled team for loan purposes.”
She claimed that after the payment was made, she got calls telling her that the fee she gave was an admission fee instead and that a loan amount had been taken in her name from a third party, Propelld. Yashika wrote, “I told him to terminate my admission. As I wasn’t eligible and I have some financial problems too.”
She claimed that her request was ‘ignored’ for 15 days, and later, they were asked to ignore calls from Propelld. After that, their calls were again ignored.
“We contacted counsellor Rohan. He blamed us back in return what proof do u have that you have cancelled the course.” Yashika wrote in her LinkedIn post that she and her family were abused and mentally harassed.
One LinkedIn User, Vidushi Sawhney, commented, “… I also had a conversation with them regarding their courses, and I pointed out that their courses are not RCI-affiliated. However, the person I spoke with insisted that they are affiliated. It’s concerning that they continue to promote their courses so actively and confidently.”
A month ago, another Student shared a similar experience. Tamanna Arora, who enrolled in an Advanced Psychology Course in April 2024 shared her story via LinkedIn.
Tamanna claimed that she was told by the organization that her classes would begin in May 2024, and her EMI started getting deducted. However, there was no communication about her admission status or the course commencement date after that. “When I contacted my counsellor, Ms Tanvi, I was informed of a document issue that I had not been made aware of.”
She wrote that despite her willingness to resolve the issue, the delays persisted. After her counsellor left. She reached out to several executives of the organization for updates.
Tamanna wrote that she still joined the orientation call on June 29, during which she asked to withdraw from this course. She wrote, “…the organizer, Ms. Sujata, removed me from the call. I was then connected with an executive who tried to persuade me to stay. I insisted on a refund and was given a link to apply for it that same day.”
Tamanna claimed that she was promised that her refund would be processed after the loan cancellation by August 15. She wrote “Every executive I spoke to gave me excuses and delayed further”
Tamanna attached the screenshot and emails she received from the organization on her LinkedIn post to support her points.
Psychologs has reached out to Counsel India through mail to take their opinion on the above matter into consideration. However, we have received no response till the article is posted.
Other allegations by the alleged employee
Gunjan Joshi, a Clinical Psychologist who worked as a weekend faculty member at Counsel India for two years, wrote on LinkedIn, “Over the past six months, I have faced recurring issues with payout discrepancies and inadequate responses to my concerns.” Gunjan Joshi attached the email exchanges with the organization in her post to address the issue and support her claims.
One LinkedIn user, Anushka Singh, commented, “I wanted to apply in Counsel India a few months back for which I mailed them. After that the admission counsellors kept calling me and pushing me to have a certification course. They were continuously calling me back to back. I kept blocking their numbers and every day they would just call me up from several new numbers to manipulate me or I must say to force me.”
Another user, Tilottama Khandelwal wrote in response to her post, “I was also one of the trainers in CI back in 2023, and met with disrespectful situation, I immediately made distance from the organisation…”
Gunjan in her other posts, claimed to have received a legal notice from Counsel India, demanding the removal of her LinkedIn post and threatening a defamation claim of ₹10 lakh.
She wrote in her LinkedIn post, “In light of this situation, I will be pursuing legal action. I encourage anyone who has faced similar threats to come forward and join me in speaking up.”
Sonu Kushwaha, who claimed to be an employee of CI, shared a post on LinkedIn about their experience while being a team lead in the organization. They claimed that they had seen an unexplained salary deduction and irregularities in retention policies. According to Sonu, the initial agreed-upon salary deduction of ₹5,500 was unexpectedly increased to ₹49,500.
Sonu wrote, “In September, despite putting in my best efforts, I received only ₹24,358—far from the salary. When I approached the leadership to discuss the discrepancy, I was pressured to either leave the company or switch to an individual contributor role, which felt like an attempt to force my resignation.”
Hariom Yadav, claiming to be a former employee of CI, wrote in his LinkedIn post, “I left the company on July 16th, 2024, but my full and final settlement (FNF) still hasn’t been credited to my account.” Hariom wrote that “The Founder” introduced a new rule to not pay the full FNF amount. “They forced me to accept only 8k of my salary, which is completely unfair.”
Accountability: A Necessity, Not an Option
Educational institutions should be answerable for their deeds. The lack of regulations in certain areas allows for unethical practices. Educational accountability embodies the following:
1. Transparency in Processes: Publishing facts about fee payments, refunds, and services.
2. Regulatory Compliance: Meeting education authority guidelines.
3. Fair Grievance: Timely establishment of effective channels for resolving disputes and complaints. Students remain vulnerable to exploitation without such conditions.
Legal and Regulatory steps:
Existing Legal Protection:
India has several laws that aim to protect consumers from unfair practices:
1. Consumer Protection Act, 2019: Protects individuals against deceptive business practices and ensures timely grievance redressal.
2. Right to Education Act, 2009: While focused on primary education, this act works on the importance of ethical conduct in education.
3. Information Technology Act, 2000: Governs digital transactions and data protection, both critical to online education platforms.
Gaps in Enforcement
Despite the fact that the laws exist to protect citizens from scams, enforcement remains a challenge. Many educational startups operate by machiavalient practices and stay in gray areas, finding and exploiting loopholes in order to engage in unethical practices. Stronger and smarter monitoring is needed to find these gaps.
How in the Name of Education, Students Are Getting Scammed
Noble as it may seem, education ordinarily also forms the basis of personal development and societal development. However, exploitation on the part of organizations turns a noble cause into an important breach of ethics.
Preventive Measures and Recommendations
For Students and Parents
Some institutions may charge a high amount of fees without giving a breakdown of cost or quality of education. Once the student enrols, they will find themselves stuck with hidden charges that weren’t discussed.
- Research Institutions: Thoroughly review the online feedback and website with social media (if available).
- Understand Financial Agreements: Do not sign up for loans or make payments without clear, written terms. Take written proof of every important detail mentioned in the oral.
- Seek Legal Help: File complaints and take legal action against the organization that misled.
For Employees
- Insist on Contracts: Do not shake hands on oral agreements. Ensure written employment agreements have clear payment terms and dispute resolution processes.
- Keep Records: Document all the transactions and communications done or made with the organization in case of future disputes.
For Policymakers and Regulators
- Implement Stricter Regulations: Regular audits of educational institutions should be done to ensure that the organization is working under ethical practices and not loopholes.
- Create Grievance Redressal Bodies: Establish and build impartial organizations for handling student and employee complaints that are impartial
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