Leading edtech companies in India, including top names such as Byju’s, Great Learning, upGrad and Vedantu, have joined hands to set up a self-regulatory body, India EdTech Consortium (IEC).

The consortium members will adhere to a common ‘code of conduct’ and institute a two-tier grievance redressal mechanism to protect the rights of the learners, according to a statement from IEC.

The other names in the IEC include Careers 360, Doubtnut, Harappa, Simplilearn, Toppr, and Unacademy.

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The IEC said the edtech ecosystem reaches over 50 crore students and working professionals in the country.

“At this scale, it is critical that the ecosystem follows a framework that will protect the rights of our learners,” the IEC has said.

“IAMAI [ Internet and Mobile Association of India] and members of the India EdTech Consortium (IEC) are deeply committed to ensuring ethical standards to protect learners on online educational platforms,” said Subho Ray, IAMAI President.

IEC seeks to empower learners not just by helping make informed decisions but also getting their grievances redressed on time, he said.

The self-regulatory body is an important step in protecting learners as more and more students, teachers and stakeholders are becoming a part of the online education ecosystem, he said.

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“We are completely aligned with the Government’s principles on safeguarding consumer interests and welcome the creation of guidelines that help students reach their learning goals in a manner that makes them future-ready and conceptually strong,” Divya Gokulnath, Co-Founder of Byju’s, said.

Vamsi Krishna, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Vedantu, said the IEC would help build a “sounder and more ethical ecosystem for students”.

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