“If we want to have the best ICT infrastructure in our schools then we have to be ready to make very large investments,” says Mantriprasad Naithani, Minister of Education, Government of Uttarakhand. In conversation with Mohd Ujaley

In the meeting of Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), you raised the issue of slashing the budget of states under Right to Education Act (RTE). What has been the response of HRD Minister on this issue?
The Minister has replied positively, he has explained the reasons behind the cut. However, in the states, we have to look into it from the point of practical implication of this decision. What has happened is that initially an amount was sanctioned for the states under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). After that the states started their planning for the expenditure but suddenly, the budget has been cut. This has created much discomfort for the states. For example, in my state – Uttrakhand, we have recruited people to work on RTE; however, now we are unable to ask them to join as we don’t have budget for the same. Such issues create lot of distrust and problem for the general publtic. I have spoken to Minister and requested him that at-least budget should not be slashed midway as investments on some of initiatives have already been done.

Large numbers of schools are yet to comply with various provisions of the RTE Act. What should be the best way forward for higher compliance?
We enact laws for the people; therefore, we have to see whether it is serving it purpose or not. An amendment can always be made if required. The good thing about RTE is that it has created huge awareness about education across the country. But best results can only be achieved when the government has the will to strictly enforce guidelines on the implementation of RTE. The Gross Enrolment Ration (GER) has increased, but it is also true that there are large numbers of schools that are yet to comply with RTE. I feel we need to be more flexible and punish only those schools which have shown complete negligence. We may also give more time to schools for adhering to the guidelines of RTE. Also, we have to keep in mind that various initiatives under SSA or RTE cannot meet the deadline, because budget has been slashed midway and some of the states, such as Uttarakhand, have their own socio-geographic dynamics that is different from rest of the country.

Requirement of minimum area under RTE is another bone of contention. In Uttarakhand, it is hard to get 3.5 acre of land for schools. What is your view on this subject?
That is absolutely right. In Uttrakhand the population is booming and there is lot of pressure on land, therefore it is hard to get the land required to follow the RTE Act. That is why before finalising legislation, it is important to take into account the diversity and other sociogeographic challenges of the country. Various central government schemes have not yielded the anticipated results because we failed to adequately focus on the diversity of the country and I feel that is huge failure at planning level.

What is your opinion on central government opening more new universities in state?
I think, central government should open more new universities in the state. When centre opens an university, its structure, functioning and approach is bound to be more universal. State universities are created to serve the people of the state; the state government should try to bring them at par with central universities such as DU, JNU, JMI etc. The Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University has been converted from state university to central university. I am not in favour of such conversions, as they do not help the state. Through such conversions we are not creating new infrastructure or new jobs rather we are surrendering one of our universities to centre government. Now our local students are facing problem in getting admission. Ideally, centre should open more new universities in a state; the centre should also help the states to overhaul their state universities to make them at par with central universities.

One good thing about RTE is that this initiative has created huge awareness about education across the country”

What are the major challenges you see in ICT in education?
Use of ICT is good for education. Technology gives us an opportunity to reach out to maximum number of students. The main challenge that I see is that of investment – ICT in school requires huge investment, and there seems to be confusion on the best practices that have the best returns. Also, our aim should be to use ICT in schools for learning general subjects such as Maths, English, and Science etc., in easy and efficient way rather than getting carried away by newer technologies. The other big challenge to technology is poor infrastructure of our country. You may have best of the technologies, but you can’t use it if you don’t have adequate infrastructure in place.

You have always expressed the opinion that education should have some kind of value in it to bring maximum benefit to the students. Can schools alone inculcate value in a student?
School alone cannot do it. It is the shared responsibility of schools, parents and society at large to give right values to students. At government level, we can create syllabus, sensitise our teachers, but the parents also have to take an initiative. They have to play a more constructive role in the overall development of a child. I am happy now education is becoming priorities for the parents and it will surely produce good citizens in the country who will respect their elders, women and person in need. In Uttrakhand, we are heavily focusing on girl’s education and we are among the top states which fully utilises the central government initiatives. And, I feel, the more educated girls are, the better it is for the country.

Jain Toddlers – an international play school
Year of inception: 2007
Founder and Chairperson: Chenraj Roychand
COO: Chandrashekar D.P.
Head office: Hyderabad
Address: Survey No.187, Botanical Garden Road, Masjid Banda, Kondapur, Hyderabad – 500 084
Website: www.toddlers.ac.in

Jain Toddler has been granted international affiliation based on the standards of its environment, curriculum, learning resources and faculty. The school’s team comprises a group of experienced and passionate early childhood practitioners with extensive training by international instructors in all areas of child development.

School’s Philosophy
Providing quality education from cradle to career thereby creating human assets. Fuelling economic growth by developing new generation entrepreneurs. Creating a globally networked community of leaders, technocrats, scientists, sportsmen and professionals.

USP
The school’s child centric curriculum ‘PEARL’ (Play, Engage, Activity, Reflect, and Learn) helps us to focus on personal care, parent’s involvement, besides traditions and values. We believe in holistic development and nutritious food and structured sports

Franchise Process

Business ExpansionPresence across India –  22 locations Franchise Option – Yes Number of franchise – 5 Expansion Plans  – 100 centres by 2015Requirement for taking Franchise: Investment required for 8000 sqft area is `23 – 25 Lakhs Investemnt required for 4000 sqft area is `18 – 20 Lakhs Deliverables for franchise owner:Layout and Designing: Floor plans and an easy to follow design/build package is created during the initial fit-out stage, which is managed with the complete support and direction of the Jain Toddler’s in-house team. Launch Support: Initial training seminars and on-site help is provided, organize and conduct the grand opening launch. Oneon- one support is provided whenever required. Training Programmes: Complete comprehensive training programme to prepare the owners and key managers with the knowledge and tools to manage a Jain Toddler’s franchise is provided, from class curriculum to marketing and business operations. Videos and Manuals: In-depth operation manuals provide an additional resource for managers, teachers and owners, and provide ongoing details for running a Jain Toddler’s franchise. Continuous Support: A home office team is available for questions, assistance, and all concerns within 48 hours ! Marketing and Branding: An array of unique promotional and marketing materials are provided. Franchise owners are helped in detailed marketing plans and strategies. Wide range of online, web-to-print and design solutions makes it easy to market the business.Why Partner with Jain Toddler’s ?Cradle to career: With JGI network spread across pan India, there is scope for continual education for toddlers in Jain schools and institutions, which is an added advantage for our partners. Strong background: Jain Toddler’s is backed by the Jain Group of Institutions which has over two decades of rich academic experience, which would be the guiding strength behind our franchises. Knowledge Sharing: Presence in over 22 locations has given the right exposure and knowledge of school operations which will benefit our franchises. Child-centric Curriculum: JGI has a unique and balanced self developed curriculum ‘PEARL’ (Play, Engage, Activity, Reflect, Learn) which gives the group an edge over other pre-schools. Multicultural Advantage: Having schools in five different states helped the group excel in diverse cultures and geographies so will help new franchisee owners wanting to venture in a new area. Contact person for Franchise Enquiry: Rishi Pransukhka, Franchise Manager; +91 7396029351

Admission Process

Minimum Age for admission: 1 ½ yearsAdmission procedure and fee Structure: Open to all and fees varies from centre to centre.Programmes for student development: KIDS Club, Kinder Kamp & Kinder Classes Qualifications required for teacher recruitment: Graduate and passion for learning. Training programme for teachers development: Jain Academy for Early Childhood Education and Teachcraft Support to parents: Toddlers Touch, Kindercare and Open Houses Contact person for admissions: Sudha Kolluru, Centre Manager; +91 9908573331Employment opportunity: If you wish to work in a Jain Toddler school send your profile at jgihyd@gmail.com

The rise in nuclear families and increase in disposable incomes have led to greater demand for quality preschools even in small towns and non-metros. Still preschool industry is in nascent stage in India with around 1.1% enrolment in comparison with France or Scotland where preschool enrolment is 100 percent. There is a mushrooming growth of preschools in India over last decade but only 17% of Indian preschool market belongs to the organised sector. This segment is attracting investments from private players.
According to a research report published in 2011 “Indian Preschool Market Forecast”, Indian preschool market has been witnessing rapid growth for the past few years on the back of rise in disposable income, rising number of working mothers, increasing trend of nuclear families, and escalating demand for high quality preschool education for toddler. However, low market penetration and low barriers to entry along with the increasing awareness, popularity, and propensity of young working professionals to pay, are some of the drivers, which suggest that the market offers considerable opportunity for investors. Moreover, it is expected that, the preschool market will reach to USD 1,833 Million by 2014, growing at a CAGR of around 13% during 2011-2014.
The preschool Industry is growing at a very fast pace that is 36% per annum as against the education industry growth of 15% er annum, which means that the parents are understanding the importance of early childhood education.

Drivers, Challenges and Trends

Alok Kumar Modi, Chairman, Maple Bear The franchise should have the will to follow the directions, manuals and curriculum to the hilt and should not try and innovate his ownstuff. The partners should also stick to  the core strength of the group by not cutting corners and would then benefit from the structure  provided by the group and ultimately profits would follow if the processes are thoroughly followed

Kopal Maheshwari, Founder and Chairperson, Little Einstein, “The opportunity is huge in preschool industry. The industry is growing at 36% and branded preschools are growing at much faster pace. This opportunity is best suited for entrepreneurs as it is low risk low investment model and you need to spend only 4-6 hours a day to operate preschool, giving you ample time to spend with family and pursue other opportunities.”

Starting a Preschool
Looking at the tremendous potential of preschools it makes great economic sense market to open a preschool through franchise model India. Various models exist under organised industry in preschool are direct chains, through franchise model and extended K-12 school.
There are various benefits that the franchise model offers such as the opportunity to be associated with established brand, which helps in attracting more kids. Further the franchisors provide curriculum support, training support, set up support, branding and marketing support, etc. One major advantage of this business model is sharing of expenses, knowledge, experience, brand image, as well as technical expertise.

Ajay Gupta, Chairman, Bachpan School

The quality standards of Bachpan are maintained through all the franchises across India by making franchises a part of the system and not by belting out penalties. We believe in having a healthy relationship with our franchises so that they have a continuous support from us for running a successful business

Key Preschool Franchisors

Requirements for taking franchise
Different franchisors have different requirements and deliverables. Typically a preschool needs minimum space requirement 1,000-2,000 sqft and Initial investment starts from around Rs 500,000 along with trained personnel. Location also plays an important role. The franchise needs to work out all the important details including investment, profit sharing and revenue models with the parent company.

Roadblocks
Trained Manpower: There is massive scarcity of teachers in the playschools space. The teachers are no longer Just Montessori trained but also have passion to continuously learn and unlearn. Preschool owners look for teachers who want to learn continuously and like the concept of being with small children. The people who have good communication skills and can reach out to the children at a tender age. The people with these traits can be trained according to the curriculum requirements of different preschools.
A S Ganesh, Founder And Managing director, Smart KidZ on the vast shortage of teachers in the preschools, “Teachers with B.ED / ECCE qualification are very few, so we suggest the Franchisees to appoint teachers who are graduates with good communication skills. We provide an intensive training which educates them about the child psychology, new trends of teaching methodology and concepts. We believe in the warmth and affection the teacher gives to the child rather than her qualifications. To facilitate the untrained teachers, we provide NTT Program approved by the AIECCE – Government of India.”
These schools organise regular training programs to fine tune the teachers about role plays, classroom coordination, handling the inquisitiveness of the children and the way to handle kids so that they learn all the things in a playful and handy way.
The quality audits in the classroom helps in identifying the various loopholes and these are then passed to the training module. The training takes care of teaching the teachers all aspects of providing quality and fruitful interaction with the children under her care. The group also believes in constantly appraising and appreciating the good work done by the teachers.

There is more awareness about childhood development and the importance of learning in this age group   Anita Rao, Founding Director and the Managing Director, Educational Catalysts India Pvt Ltd

The regulation will in a way help us to grow rather than being a hindrance Pritam Aggarwal, Hello Kids

This opportunity is best suited for entrepreneurs as it is low risk low investment model  Kopal Maheshwari, Founder and Chairperson, Little Einstein

Need for Better Regulation
The government is planning to introduce regulations for pre-schools as well. Most of the branded Preschool segment would put cap on the fly by night kind of operators of school those who want to make quick money. These players expects that regulations must bring standardisation in quality and safety, then it would help in bringing good players in the field and also help in keeping the standards maintained.

Initial investment starts from
around `500,000

Pritam Aggarwal, Owner, Hello Kids, “I believe the regulation should be introduced with immediate effect as it will help in providing visibility to the big players who are already there in the market for a long time now. The regulation will in a way help us to grow rather than being a hindrance. If RTE comes into play it might rule the fee structures and other aspects, but at the same time it will act as a boost to the upcoming franchise to venture into pre-school business as the number of students attending preschools will increase.”

Planet Kids
Year of inception: 2005
Founders: Chandu Jain; Amar Kapasi
Head office: Bangalore
Address: C-7, ‘Unity Buildings’, 1st Floor, J C Road,
Bangalore- 560 002
Website: www.planetkids.in
Email:info@planetkids.in; franchise@planetkids.in
Contact Numbers: +91 80 411-45744/844
Toll Free Line: 1-800-103-6766

SPlanet Kids is a start-up incepted in the year 2005 at Bangalore with an honest attempt to create a difference in the pre-schooling industry by providing an experience of international standards to the children as well as the parents. The company started off with company owned and operated model of preschools and was a pioneer in the field by integrating modern pedagogies of teaching combined with a state-of-the-art infrastructure at an affordable price point. With-in a very short span of time Planet Kids created an indelible impression in the industry at Bangalore for delivering high quality standards as well as pioneering creativity based activities for the children and a wholesome experience for the parents. Till date over 12000 children and thousands of happy parents have been a part of this hugely successful story and are fast growing by the day. Started with one school with three students in 2005 to 15 schools with over 2000 children in 2013, the journey indeed has been exciting and a fulfilling one. And yet we say, ‘we have just begun’ as there is a lot more to achieve and accomplish.

School’s Philosophy
The brand name ‘Planet Kids’ denotes a whole different world for the children to explore, learn and enjoy the process of growing up in a happy atmosphere along with acquiring learning skills ‘the fun way’. A planet of the children, for the children and created keeping in mind the various requirements of young learners. The name is synonymous to quality learning for children along with the endearing and friendly Lion mascot ‘Frizzy’.

USP of your Group
Excellent brand equity, young and creative team, extensive knowledge and know-how of Preschooling Industry, and extremely qualified training personnel

Admission Process

Toddler Programme: 1 year – 1 year 8 months Play Group: 1year 8 months – 2 years 8 months Nursery: 2 years 8 months – 3 years 8 months Lower Kindergarten: 3 years 8 months – 4 years 8 months Upper Kindergarten: 4 years 8 months – 5 years 8 months Daycare: 2 years to 8 years Activity Hub: 2 years to 12 years Fee Structure: Ranging from 24000 to 60000 per annum for preschool Programmes for student development: X-SEED curriculum, Kinderdance, E-Blocks & Raise a Reader Programme Qualifications required for teacher recruitment: Freshers/Qualified (NTT or Montessori Trained)/Exprienced Training programme for teachers development: Regular Teacher Training & enrichment Programmes Employment opportunity: : If you wish to work with Planet Kids in Teachers/Centre heads/Academic Head positions, please mail your profile to jobs@planetkids.in