Several FIITJEE centres shutdown in Delhi, UP, as teachers quit due to unpaid salaries

Several FIITJEE coaching centres across various states in North India have reportedly shut down during the past week because teachers at these centres quit due to unpaid salaries.

FIITJEE (Forum for Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examination) coaching centres in Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida, Varanasi, Bhopal, and Patna have closed, leaving students and their parents angry and frustrated just before board and entrance exams.

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The latest centre to be closed recently was the one in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, due to lack of teachers.

Parents’ complaints

Several parents have filed police complaints, and have alleged that the institute did not give them any refunds or any notice about the impending closure of the centres. Videos of parents protesting outside the closed coaching centres have been going around.

One parent told NDTV that he had already invested ₹6 lakhs towards the fees. He said that several FIITJEE centres had been shut down about six months ago in some states, and that the institute had assured the parents that the centres where their wards were studying would remain open and they should make the payments. They collected money from all the parents and said the classes would continue, even after the teachers quit.

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Another parent said he was told that most of the faculty members were leaving because they had not been paid salaries for several months.

FIITJEE’s financial crisis

FIITJEE, founded in 1992 by an IIT graduate called DK Goel, has been going through a financial crisis in recent times after civic action against some of its branches for violating licensing and fire safety rules.

The crisis has become worse at a time when the students have just appeared for Session-1 of JEE Mains on January 22, 23, and 24 – the entrance exam for engineering colleges and the preliminary exam for admission to the elite IITs.

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FIITJEE reportedly has more than 300 employees working across 72 coaching centres in 41 cities and towns. The institute offers coaching for engineering entrance exams and for NEET as well.