CBSE AFFILIATED SCHOOL FROM KGL TO 12TH STANDARD (SEPARATE WINGS FOR KGL TO 5TH STANDARD) AND (6TH TO 12TH STANDARD)

Globally, the Indian Education sector is amongst the largest, with an extensive network of more than 1.4 million schools (with over 200 million students enrolled) and more than 850 universities and 40,000 higher education institutes and is expanding rapidly in light of rising income levels and growing demand for quality education in the country. Further, India also has the world’s largest population in the age bracket 3 to 23 years which highlights the large addressable market for this sector. Education sector in India is a mix of government-operated & privately operated educational institutions and allied education products & services providers. India has a significant young population which calls for a robust education sector to harness potential for human capital. The sector is highly influenced by various government schemes and policies launched primarily to improve the quality of education and the planned expenditure through several schemes. Literacy in India is one of the key deterrents to the socio-economic progress of the country. The Indian literacy rate is currently 76% (Source: 71st Survey of the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO)) compared with 17% at the end of 1950. Although there has been a significant increase in India’s literacy levels, it still has the largest illiterate population in the world, with its literacy rate below the world average of 86%. Additionally, according to various experts, a majority of the graduates from universities are not easily employable. The education sector in India has witnessed a paradigm shift in recent times. Once operated primarily as a philanthropic or a nation building activity, it has since transformed into a ‘sector in its own right. So far, basic primary education and certain specific institutions for higher education, like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have been the prominent parts of the Indian education sector. However, due to an increase in competition coupled with the increasing need to provide quality education and generate positive learning outcomes, the Indian education sector is slowly but steadily moving on the reforms track. The education sector in India comprises pre-school, primary and higher secondary education. This is then followed by the higher education segment, which includes professional and technical education. In addition, the segment also comprises vocational training, coaching classes, distance education through e-learning platforms and the like. The Indian Education Sector can be broadly classified into two categories, public sector and private sector. Schools and Higher education institutes: It comprises K-12 (schooling from Kindergarten to 12th grade covering primary and secondary education), graduation and post-graduation studies being regulated / funded by various statutory bodies formed by the Central and State Governments. K-12 represents the largest segment within the education space and is delivered primarily through the schools affiliated to State Education Board, Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and International Baccalaureate (IB). These schools are run by the government or the private sector. Of late, the Indian education sector has witnessed increased penetration by corporates in the K-12 as well as in the higher education institutes space. With the schools being not for profit, corporates have adopted a two-tier structure, wherein trust is created to run the school/ higher education institute. The corporates are using a mix of franchisee and owned schools to scale up their K12 operations. Non-Formal Education: Non-formal education is the unorganized education acquired by an individual. This segment is operated by the private sector. Non-formal education includes preschools for children and coaching classes (organised as well as unorganised) for both the school children as well as for the candidates appearing for the competitive examinations. This type of education is not governed by any regulatory authority. The informal education service providers remain fragmented with players catering to diverse areas of Informal education. Preschools also known as play group schools cater to approximately 4% of the Indian population belonging to the age group of 1 to 3 years. These schools are primarily aimed at urban children. The increasing awareness among parents about the benefits of quality education has been boosting the growth in the segment. With rising urbanization, increasing proportion of working women and disposable income; the penetration level is expected to increase significantly. The industry is highly fragmented and unorganized due to low entry barriers. However, of late the organized chains have set up schools across the country led by the entry of corporate entities and entities in other value chain of the education sector. Franchisee Model: Organized players have scaled up the operations through the franchisee model, wherein the franchise owner benefits from the brand in return for payment of franchisee fee or royalty to the concerned corporate / brand owner. The franchisee benefits from the technical expertise, brand image, curriculum knowledge, best educational practices, whereas the corporate gains with the lower investments and geographical spread of its preschools across the country. Owned model: Most of the regional standalone preschools adopt owned model and very few corporate(s) have adopted the company owned model to enter the segment. Shift towards organized market: Low entry barriers, minimal capital requirement and absence of regulatory restrictions have resulted into a fragmented preschool industry in India with many unorganized players. The preschool market continues to be highly unorganized being run by independent entrepreneurs. However, of late several corporates have also evinced interest in this educational segment. Several organized players are entering the market as they have sufficient resources to establish their brands by opening multiple centres, as branding has become increasingly essential in the preschool segment due to increasing demand. There are many organized players such as KidZee, Euro Kids, Bachpan, Apple Kids, Shemrock, Kangaroo Kids, Podar Jumbo Kids, etc. These players have expanded their scalability through the franchisee route. The organized segment is further expected to grow significantly on the back of entry of new players and large scale expansion of the existing players. K-12 is an abbreviated term for schooling from the Kindergarten to the 12th grade covering primary and secondary education. The target population for this segment is from the age group of 3-17 years. Post the playgroup years, a child would be enrolled in a recognized school registered / affiliated to any of the education boards. The K-12 institutions can broadly be classified into: government-owned and managed, privately-owned but government-aided and privately-owned but unaided. With the Government restricting the private K-12 institutions to be established for ‘not- for-profit’ and to be run only by trusts / societies, the K-12 scenario in India continues to be dominated by government schools, including Madrasas & Unrecognized Schools totalling 1,118,268 during FY17 and accounting for 76.2% of the total schools in India. However, the private schools managed by the trusts, political, religious/charitable organizations are fast scaling up, aggregating 349,412 during FY17 accounting for 23.8% of the total schools in India. The entry of corporates and the growing number of institutes under an umbrella brand has revolutionized the concept of K–12 in India. With schools being required to run on ‘not for profit’ motive, the corporates have adopted a two-tier structure, wherein a trust is created to run the school with the company’s subsidiary / management company being the primary revenue earner for the services rendered to the school such as consulting, teacher training etc. The corporates have adopted a mix of franchisee and owned schools model to scale up their operations. As per the Right to Education (RTE) Act, the private preschools providing elementary education are required to admit 25% of the students from the weaker sections and disadvantaged groups and provide them free education. Moreover, the RTE also mandates closure of private schools if they fail to meet the stipulated teaching and physical infrastructure requirements. However, public schools are exempted from such penal provision. Such regulatory measures deter private investment in the segment. Hence K-12 segment remains dominated by public sector schools in India, with government schools accounting for 76.2% of the total no. of schools in India. However, the share of private schools has been increasing due to the growing awareness about importance of quality education and enhanced affordability.