We are looking forward to reinventing education: Prajodh Rajan
In the fray of reinventing the pre-schooling education, countries one of the largest pre-schooling chains in India EuroKids International is devotedly sticking to its ideology of Child First while ensuring that the developmental, safety and engagement needs of the child are met in a home like environment. Along with this the company is intending to double its number of pre-schools, from the current number of 900 plus, across metros to tier II and III towns. Hence, also talking about its international expansions plans, the curriculum, future education industry with technology, franchising and challenges faced by the company in the Indian market Prajodh Rajan, Co-founder & CEO, EuroKids International spoke to Educationbiz.com.
How unique is EuroKids compared to other pre-schools?
At EuroKids, we are redefining early child care education with a focus on providing a fun based learning environment. With ‘Child First’ ideology at the core of our pedagogy, we ensure that the developmental, safety and engagement needs of the child are met in a home like environment as they play, learn and grow to imbibe essential life skills.
With over 15 years of expertise in early childcare education and practical application and being one of the largest pre-school chains in India we make each day at EuroKids a new learning day, filled with novel and wonderful experiences to help young learners find what interests and inspires them. Our focus remains on providing young children a comfortable atmosphere where learning is full of fun, with programs that are unique, well researched and implemented in a caring and child-friendly ambience.
How have you structured your curriculum towards developing 'Executive Function Skills' in children?
Our curriculum is structured and focuses on developing 'Executive Function Skills' (EFS) in children that are crucial for learning, development and positive behavior. It integrates multiple representation, expression and engagement to focus on developing Executive Function skills which are vital for the Next Gen learners.
Our pre-schools are fitted with customized child-friendly furniture so they can freely express themselves without getting hurt. We have launched the MyBuddy Smart Device which helps you track the real time whereabouts of your child and get notifications through an app on your mobile phone. We are the only pre-school in India that has received an international certification on safety standards.
What is your current market presence?
We have a presence extending across 3 countries with 900 plus pre-schools across 350 plus towns and cities. We have nurtured over 3,00,000 children and hence looking forward to reinventing education. Also EuroKids International has a network of 10 schools (K-12) in 6 cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Surat. We offer balanced schooling mix of academics and co-curricular activities.
What are the challenges faced by you in the pre-schooling space?
The most significant challenge we faced was to create a sense of awareness for the benefits of a structured pre-schooling experience for the child and to showcase to parents how child-centric all our efforts are. Back in the day, most parents were comfortable sending their child to the nearest pre-school or the most popular pre-school in the vicinity. However, as we spread our network of pre-schools, most parents started to realise the benefits of pre-schooling at EuroKids i.e. the safety and security norms adopted at our pre-schools, the high levels of hygiene and cleanliness, structured curriculum, experienced teachers and many such aspects made us the preferred choice for many parents. We still do face challenges with finding adequately trained teaching resources.
What is your future expansion plans?
We intend to expand our business beyond the present 900 plus pre-schools. We do sense a maturing of the major metro cities and believe that there is great untapped potential in the tier-II and III towns and cities. Our plan is to expand our network and double it in the next 48 months. Internationally, we are present in Nepal and Bangladesh and will be shortly be entering Sri Lanka.
Do you think the future of Indian Education industry lies in Edtech?
Technology today is all pervasive. When it comes to pre-schooling, the amount of technology that a child must be exposed to in his formative years must be controlled. Beyond pre-schooling technology has ensured a paradigm change in the manner in which education is delivered in this country. Technology has also made it convenient to share the curriculum, revisit the same at convenience and hold easier procedures towards examinations. When under a supervised platform, technology is a great enabler of education.
How does preschool benefit from franchising?
From a business point of view, franchising gives us wider and faster reach across our markets. In addition, it is also helping us to create successful entrepreneurs out of individuals who have simply an entrepreneurial bent of mind, a passion for education and a drive to achieve excellence.
When we look at joining hands with a partner we do look for like-mindedness. It’s imperative that the partner understands that this business is all about delivering quality pre-schooling without comprises. The partner has to understand that this is a long-term business and there are no short cuts to success and must have a commitment to making learning a fun experience for kids.
