Nas Academy halts operations in the Philippines amid controversies

Nas Academy, the edtech platform founded by vlogger Nuseir Yassin, has halted its operations in the Philippines. New customers will not be able to purchase any courses on the platform until further notice.

In an official announcement, the company said that it will focus on strengthening its process of collaborating with its partners.

Nas Academy team with Nuseir Yassin in the center / Photo credit: Nas Academy

Nas Academy came under fire last week after the grandniece of Apo Whang-Od, one of the oldest traditional tattoo artists from the Philippines’ Kalinga tribe, claimed that the tattoo expert “did not sign any contract” with Nas Academy for a course available on the website under her name. The edtech platform took down the course following the allegation but claimed that the artist had given her consent and had signed a contract for the program with assistance from some of her family members.

In the statement, Nas Academy said that “some of its intentions have been misunderstood” and that the goal of the company has always been to “help people become teachers, with their input and consent.”

The Philippines’ National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) stated that “appropriate intervention” had already been initiated to review the validity of the alleged contract between Nas Academy and Whang-Od. The edtech firm said that it is committed to working with the NCIP to ensure that all proper processes are followed while onboarding trainers on its platform.

Following this incident, entertainment management and production company Cornerstone Entertainment and collaborator Catriona Gray, who claimed the title of Miss Universe in 2018, announced that they will stop accepting new applicants for the Catriona Gray Academy that was slated to go live on Nas Academy. The postponement will be in effect until the issue surrounding Whang-Od’s course has been fully resolved, according to a statement.

See also: Nas Daily dreams of hiring 1,000 people for its grand edtech plans

To make matters worse for the Singapore-based edtech firm, a Forbes 30 Under 30 listee, Louise De Guzman Mabulo, has also accused Yassin of rude and exploitative behavior. She said in a Facebook post that he repeatedly labeled the people of her hometown of San Fernando, Camarines Sur as being poor when he visited her to shoot a video on her venture, The Cacao Project.

Yassin responded by slamming Mabulo’s story and alleging that The Cacao Project was not as successful in reality as the Filipino entrepreneur had claimed. According to the video maker, the “200 farmers” that Mabulo said she worked with were nowhere to be found, and there were no cacao plantations that she didn’t “personally profit from.” He also categorically denied the allegations regarding his behavior.

See also: Forbes listee accuses Nas Daily founder of rude and exploitative behavior

Last month, Nas Academy raised an US$11 million series A funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. It plans to use the money to get more trainers on board, according to Yassin.