Several FIITJEE coaching centres across India have shut down, reportedly due to financial troubles and non-payment of teachers' salaries. Now, the Indirapuram centre in Ghaziabad has also closed, sparking outrage among parents.
Locals revealed off-camera that the coaching centre has been shut for a week. On Sunday evening, aggrieved parents filed a case at the Indirapuram police station against the centre's management.
Thirty-five parents have alleged that the centre's operators collected nearly Rs 1.75 crore in fees before shutting down, leaving students with only half of their syllabus covered.
The crisis in the coaching institute is a result of administrative and civic actions taken against its branches for violating licensing and fire safety rules. Ghaziabad's District Inspector of Schools, Dharmendra Sharma, had highlighted the fresh drive launched under the UP Coaching Regulation Act, 2002, against unregistered institutes.
The annual income of teachers at the institute ranged between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 2 crore. Many centres had experienced mass resignations from teachers after they were not paid salaries for months. FIITJEE has also been accused of diverting its funds to businesses other than the coaching centres. The institute lost its investors and teachers due to the financial crisis.
Started nearly three decades ago by D.K. Goel, a mechanical engineering graduate from IIT Delhi, the chain of coaching institutes, specialising in engineering entrance exam training, also offers NEET entrance coaching. The institute also provides coaching for basic foundation classes for grades 8, 9, and 10. FIITJEE reportedly has 72 centres across 41 cities and over 300 employees.
