'We're Abandoned, Byju’s Bankruptcy Left Thousands of Us Jobless'

"I continued to take classes until 31 August without any salary, while my financial condition hit rock bottom."

(Thousands of employees at Byju's have not received their salaries for months)

(Illustration by The Quint/Vibhushita Singh)

As Byju's goes through insolvency, thousands of teachers like me stare joblessness as our salaries have stopped coming.

I am a teacher at Byju's in Mumbai, where I have been working for two and a half years. However, all has not been well since February 2024.

Until January 2024, everything was going smoothly; we were taking classes, and our salaries were credited to our bank accounts on time.

In February, I received only a partial salary payment, although my salary slip falsely reflected the full amount. Despite this discrepancy, no official communication was provided to clarify the issue, leaving me and many other employees with pending dues.

Later, the due amount was disbursed by the company, but we began experiencing delays in our salaries being credited to our accounts.

In July, insolvency proceedings were announced against the company over a loan of 15,000 crores it had taken from various creditors. Since then, I have not received my salary.

As the insolvency proceedings continues, employees were asked to submit their documents related to unpaid salaries and other dues.

While many teachers and other employees halted their work, I continued to take classes until 31 August without any salary, as my financial condition deteriorated and hit rock bottom.

In a desperate attempt to keep morale afloat, the company’s founder, Byju Raveendran, sent out an emotionally charged email, urging employees to stay motivated while the company goes through the financial crisis. However, the company needs to understand that motivation alone cannot pay the bills or feed our families.

We have worked tirelessly to build Byju’s into what it is today, and now we’re left with nothing. How are we supposed to take care of our families? We feel abandoned.

While the insolvency matter is in the Supreme Court, our emails have gone unanswered, and our attempts to reach out to higher authorities have been unsuccessful.

We have not received any official communication from the company regarding the court proceedings or any updates on salary payments. We have no idea when this deadlock will be resolved and when our lives will return to normal.

Many of us are facing eviction due to unpaid rent and have been struggling to pay our children’s school fees. These financial hardships have forced us to deplete our savings or take loans just to survive.

'Future of Parents in Jeopardy'

The issue has an equal bearing on the students studying at Byju’s who have been left in a quagmire. They have paid substantial amounts as fees, often running into lakhs, only to find themselves in a flux, with no apparent way out.

For many of them, that fee amount is a result of their parents’ years of hard work and savings spent in the hope of a bright future for their children.

“I’ve paid ₹2 lakh for my son’s coaching. Now, there are no classes and no updates. I don’t know where to turn,” a parent from Delhi told me, who fears her son’s education is now in jeopardy.

'Please Expedite Insolvency Process'

Thousands of teaching and non-teaching staff work at Byju's. It’s not easy for all of us to find new jobs. I am trying to survive through private tutoring and freelance work, but this won’t keep me afloat in the long run.

We urge the government to intervene in this matter and work towards a speedy solution. I also request that the honourable Supreme Court acknowledge our hardships and try to expedite the legal proceedings with Byju's.

It is a matter of grave human concern with the livelihoods of thousands of employees and the careers of lakhs of students at stake. 

(The Quint has reached out to Byju's on the issues raised by the teacher. Their response is awaited. Story would be updated once a response is received)

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