Parents protest as Noida FIITJEE reopens after closure; seek refunds

Despite the institute’s assurance of compensation for already paid fees, many parents alleged that there was “no surety” the new management would deliver on its promises

Nearly 200 parents staged a protest outside FIITJEE Noida’s Sector 62 centre on Sunday morning after the coaching institute resumed operations and began new admissions, three months after its abrupt closure on January 23.

Mohit Rajput, the new centre head, acknowledged the trust deficit but said efforts were underway to restore confidence. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

Despite the institute’s assurance of compensation for already paid fees, many parents alleged that there was “no surety” the new management would deliver on its promises. “How can FIITJEE begin new admissions when they fail to compensate the already enrolled students and their parents?” asked Niraj Singh, a parent leading the protest along with Satsang Kumar, the primary complainant in the ongoing case.

FIITJEE Noida, now operating under a franchise-based model, started offline classes on Friday and reportedly saw attendance from around 150 students on Sunday. Parents, however, raised concerns over unfamiliar teachers and a lack of continuity in faculty and management.

The centre head is new, the teachers are new—how can we send our children where all the staff is unfamiliar?” said Singh. “We cannot take the risk again. There is no certainty they will run the centre smoothly.”

The protest, which began around 8:30 am and continued till noon, saw a heavy security presence, including private bouncers at the gate. Parents claimed they were prevented from entering and were told the security was in place to prevent potential hooliganism.

“We are parents, not hooligans. We are demanding our money. We held a peaceful protest,” Singh added.

Sanjay Pandey, another protesting parent, said he had enrolled his son in a ₹4.24 lakh, four-year program and had already paid ₹3.37 lakh before the centre’s closure. “After months of uncertainty, I had to pay again to secure my son’s future at another institute. Now FIITJEE is asking us to come back?” he said.

Emails sent by FIITJEE to parents on April 9 and 12 announced the resumption of online classes between April 22 and 26 and stated that measures were being taken to prevent a repeat of the earlier situation.  

Mohit Rajput, the new centre head, acknowledged the trust deficit but said efforts were underway to restore confidence. “All the teachers are associated with FIITJEE since the 2006 or 2007 batch. FIITJEE is the same; only the business model has changed,” he said. “We will compensate the amount paid by parents to other institutes by adjusting it in the pending fee. For instance, if someone paid ₹20,000 to another institute and ₹60,000 is pending at FIITJEE, we will charge only ₹40,000.”

Sector 58 SHO Amit Kumar confirmed that the case involving the previous centre management had been transferred to the crime branch. “The centre restarted under a new franchise model after hiring new staff, as the previous team resigned and joined a rival institute. A few parents have agreed to resume studies at FIITJEE Noida, but others are demanding refunds,” he said.

On January 23, Noida Police registered an FIR at Sector 58 police station against FIITJEE Noida centre officials, including founder Dinesh Kumar Goyal, under charges of criminal conspiracy and breach of trust, following complaints from over 250 parents.

Yatendra Kasana, president of the All Noida School Parents Association (ANSPA), urged the government to form a monitoring committee. “Such situations must be supervised by the district administration and DIOS. Eventually, it’s the children and parents who suffer,” he added.