Edtech company Byju's starts new batches in 240 centres across India

On May 19, Byju Raveendran, founder and CEO of Byju's, addressed all Byju's Tuition Centres (BTC) heads and shared a new business model, based on intrapreneurship.

Edtech company Byju’s said its network of learning centres, Byju’s Tuition Centres (BTCs), have started batches for the 2024-25 academic session across their 240 locations. BTCs provide classroom-based programmes for K-12 students, complemented by access to Byju’s entire digital learning universe.

For the current academic year, Byju’s has dropped the annual fee for BTCs to just Rs 36,000. The firm said this makes it more affordable than even neighbourhood tuition classes, while offering a better quality of curriculum, pedagogy, and delivery. Byju’s said it has also seen a strong inbound interest for the role of teachers, receiving nearly 1,200 applications per day over the last two months.

On May 19, Byju Raveendran, founder and CEO of Byju’s, addressed all BTC centre heads and shared a new business model, based on intrapreneurship. “I want you to see yourselves as part-owners of these centres, not just managers,” he said. Under this model, BTC centre heads will receive a share of profits from their centre's operations, provided they meet minimum thresholds for admissions and quality over a one-year period. “We have invested crores of rupees in each centre. And you get to part-own it, free of cost! There is a floor we have prepared for you. But there is no ceiling. How much you want to grow is up to you,” he added. The heads have also been empowered to hire their own teams and even rehire former Byju’s employees.

“BTCs have huge potential to transform the supplementary education experience for millions of students across India,” said Byju Raveendran. “With the right programmes, dedicated teachers, enabling technology, and a sustainable financial model, I believe we can take BTCs to remarkable heights in terms of both scale and impact.”

The company said that the 240 hybrid learning centres of BTC, with the 300-plus centres of Aakash, make the Byju’s group one of the largest networks of learning centres across India. This includes presence across diverse locations like Bilaspur, Kharar, Dibrugarh, Vapi, Latur, Asansol, Dhule, and Tirupati, taking quality education to the deepest parts of India.

Byju’s is facing multiple challenges, including a cash crunch, delays in financial reporting, and legal disputes with lenders and investors.

Just over six months after taking over the role, Byju’s India chief executive officer Arjun Mohan recently quit his position in the firm, which is now restructuring its business into three divisions with founder Byju Raveendran handling the firm’s day-to-day operations. The firm was consolidating its businesses into three focused divisions: online learning app business, online classes and tuition centres, and test preparation. Each division will have a separate head. The edtech major recently laid off about 500 employees.

Byju’s has given up all its regional sales offices across India, keeping only its headquarters at IBC Knowledge Park in Bengaluru. The offices that have been given up could be well over 20 across Delhi, Gurugram, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, and more.

Byju’s is also grappling with another setback as it faces delays in paying salaries to employees. The delay stems from funds raised through a recent rights issue, which have been locked in a “separate account” due to the ongoing dispute with investors.