New Delhi: Jitender, 38, quit his job as a teacher at FIITJEE in 2021 after facing persistent delays in receiving his salary. Having worked for over five years, the decision to leave was not easy, but he anticipated that the situation at the institute would only worsen with time.
“They started cutting salaries and putting immense pressure during admission meetings. Everyone has heard the kind of language the seniors use while communicating. It’s no surprise that so many teachers have now resigned,” said Jitender, who currently teaches physics at a different coaching institute in Delhi.
Over the past week, teachers at FIITJEE, a leading institute for JEE coaching, have been protesting against financial difficulties and mismanagement within the institute. Many like Jitender have resigned, leading to closure of centres across the Hindi belt such as Meerut, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, and Patna in Bihar, and Delhi’s Laxminagar.
While FIITJEE operates around 72 centres across India, eight of them are shut down due to the ongoing crisis, ThePrint has learnt.
The situation highlights growing discontent within the coaching industry, exposing deeper issues such as teacher dissatisfaction, operational challenges, and the precarious state of India’s private education sector. The shutdown comes at a time when board exams are just around the corner.
FIITJEE is currently struggling with financial difficulties, exacerbated by regulatory issues. There are some administrative issues as well since they have been struggling with a few civic actions against its branches for violating fire safety and licensing rules, according to a source in FIITJEE.
ThePrint reached FIITJEE management over calls and WhatsApp messages for its statement on uncleared dues. This report will be updated as and when a response is received.
“In the last one year, I received only the salary of five months, and even that was with pay cuts. The usual meetings turned into harassment sessions, where seniors would publicly abuse employees. I have Rs 15 lakh stuck with FIITJEE and have sent multiple emails, but there has been no response,” said a teacher who resigned two months ago.
The teacher also referred to an online meeting that went viral on social media, in which the FIITJEE chairman D.K.Goel allegedly abuses the staff. “I was part of that meeting, and this was not the first time he got abusive. There was a constant pressure to bring in more and more admissions,” the teacher added.
With the closure of multiple FIITJEE centres, thousands of students and parents are caught in limbo ahead of the examinations. “My daughter was admitted to their Noida centre last year, and I paid Rs 3 lakh for her coaching. Now they’ve just closed the centre. My daughter’s studies are suffering. Who will solve this issue?” said a worried father whose daughter is enrolled at FIITJEE.
Another father, who paid Rs 6 lakh for coaching, said that despite resignations of teachers, the institute promised that classes would continue. “But we are not getting any response from the institute,” he added.
In such a scenario, parents have approached local police, demanding fee refunds and accountability from FIITJEE. However, the situation remains tense, with students’ preparations for competitive exams hanging in the balance.
Meanwhile, Jitender and another teacher, who did not want to be named, said they never received their gratuity payments from the institute. “It’s been more than three years since I resigned, and I haven’t received my gratuity, which is a significant amount. Whenever I reach out to them, they claim they are facing financial issues,” he alleged.
In one of the emails Jitender received, FIITJEE stated: “We are actively working to stabilize our finances and navigate through these difficult times. The process has taken longer than anticipated. As a result, we are unable to process or clear all Full and Final (F&F) settlements in one go. The Management has planned to address the financial obligations systematically, while ensuring the financial health of the organization (sic).”
But, there are many other teachers who alleged that the institute has not responded to their emails or calls. “I have sent multiple emails regarding my pending payment, but haven’t got any reply. My emoluments of Rs 15 lakh are pending. I don’t want to go to court as it will take a lot of my time, but this seem to be my last option…,” said the above-mentioned teacher, who resigned two months ago from FIITJEE.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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