SHEMBLOG

The Director of Education, which collaborated with Goa State Infrastructure Development GSID, has started it work to reconstruct the school facilities in the state. According to reports published in the state dailies, GSID has designed interactive classrooms and computer rooms for schools in Goa. It may worth be mentioning here that education infrastructure throughout India needs to be reconstructed and new equipments need to be installed to advance the educational development in the country.

As per the model designed for the schools, pupils will now be facing each other instead of the traditional classroom arrangement of the seats. Classrooms have been designed in such a way that the seating arrangement would be fashioned in a circular design, allowing students to have a visual contact over each other as well the teacher.

The managing Director of SHEMFORD Group of Schools, Mr. Amol Arora has appreciated the idea of modernizing the present day schools. Mr. Arora has participated in a number of workshops that were aimed at providing better means of education in the country.

A comparison between the popular schools in the West and the schools in India reveals that educational infrastructure here is still at the lagging end. As news schools and institutions are being equipped with the necessary equipments and provisions, we hope that the quality of education will improve over the course of time. However, all concerned agencies must be obliged to share the responsibility.

As education experts wait in anticipation for the results of Right to Education bill, preschools may pay heed to their services and be ready for additional responsibilities. Right now there is a lot of debate on reforming the education system and to endorse the best practices.

Arguments over school admissions have received the maximum attention. It is believed that thief the bill makes it all through the process, students from class I may have to appear for entrance tests to get admission in a school.

If children from class I have to appear in the test, somebody has to prepare them for the test. That is where preschools come in handy. Therefore, additional responsibilities will have to be shared by the parents and the preschools that train and prepare children to face interviews and tests.

Both preschool and senior secondary school franchising has become one of the most sought after forms of educational franchises. Every prospective school franchisee should have a proper business plan for school franchising that should elaborate upon some fundamental issues. A prospective school franchisee can seek the help of a franchise consultant when creating a business plan for school franchising.

Business plan for school and Franchise Agreement

A franchise agreement is a legally binding document that describes the relationship between franchisor and franchisee. For any prospective school franchisee, it is imperative to have a proper business plan. A business plan for school franchisee needs a well-defined franchise agreement that explains the franchisor’s expectations from the franchisee with regards to the acceptance of a certain business format and future growth prospects.

The franchise agreement is designed in such a way that it lists all the privileges a prospective franchisee would enjoy. When the franchisee makes a business plan for school franchise, he can check out the franchise agreement to measure the extent of help that would be provided in terms of infrastructure, advertising, marketing and management for the proposed preschool/school and effectively calculate his level of involvement and probable costs that would be incurred.

Business plan for school and FDD

Some people might confuse a franchise agreement with a FDD — Franchise Disclosure Document. FDD is different, as it is a legal document that has to be provided by a franchisor to the prospective franchisee before any document of sale is signed or finalized. The business plan for school franchises would depend upon the FDD for providing the relevant information that helps the franchisee in making an informed decision about the school/preschool brand’s market worth. The FDD is provided before signing the final documents.

FDD and Franchise Agreement

A business plan for school franchising would include a FDD that would also provide comprehensive information about the franchisor’s financial background. The franchisor has to disclose lawsuits or bankruptcies in this FDD. Whereas, a franchise agreement is important to the business plan for school franchising because it outlines the franchisor’s expectations and responsibilities.  It consists of—

• Explanation of Contract
• Operations Manual
• Proprietary-related statements —they directly affect a franchisee’s method of operation. A prospective school franchise would need to know the marketing/advertising procedures advocated by the franchisor when creating a business plan for school franchising.
• Ongoing support from franchisor

The business for school and education in general has seen a monumental increase in India. The present scenario is witnessing a never-seen-before proportion of investments from private corporates and foreign investment firms. The business for school in India has gone beyond the realm for just boarding schools or international schools. Now, many city-based (10+2) schools are being financed by a number of corporates and have become an integral part of the Indian higher education. This change has come about with the government lifting many hurdles that used to hinder foreign investments. However, currently, there are still some legal issues that inhibit the business for schools from expanding across the nation..

For example, it is still not possible for the non-profit companies that are covered under Article 25 of CRA — Companies Registration Act, i.e. including industry associations from setting up institutions or get a recognised university prominence/recognition from the UGC — University Grants Commission. By adhering to such policies, business for schools is being hampered which eventually limits the spread of quality educational institutions in the country..

Limitations to Business for Schools in India

There are still many reservations towards the expansion of business for schools in India regionally, i.e. some of these limitations are state-based and some of the restrictions have been levied by the central government itself. For example, educational institutions can be set-up in India only by recognised trusts/societies/charitable companies. However, the profits earned from such business from schools can’t be diverted outside the organization and have to be reinvested to a certain extent..

Now, these sorts of laws only hamper business for schools from further developing. This has a two-pronged negative affect on the education business scenario in India..

This sort of restriction hinders the educational institutes from spreading out and instead encourages the investors to delve into falsified accounting methods to spread out their profits from the established institution. Further, such policies discourage foreign investments. There are some states that are working towards answering this issue. For example, the state of Maharashtra is making sure that it encourages the business for school in their urban and semi-urban centres as it plans to limit the application of the above-mentioned clause. This would mean that the non-profit, Section 25 companies would be allowed to set-up educational institutions in India. This clause alteration still doesn’t affect the primary education sphere.

At the fag end of the year, we all are much concerned of how the whole year passed and how the coming year should pass; be it parents, children, students, teachers, academicians. It is this proposition that makes our media active, and makes them beam all great events of the passing year. These events reflect a definite perspective, trends and what people have been mostly interested in.

There is however a marked change about how we are using various media. The most prominent is the increased use of Internet, which offers the gamut of information and opportunity to derive the contents rather push the contents. Therefore Internet searches made by the users provide a more credible source to know what the people have largely been interested in. To make it available, Google is one of the service providers that has taken the step forward and given us the Google Zeitgeist lists.

The year 2008 Google India Zeitgeist list tells us what has been the priorities of the Internet users and the general mass. The list contains:

Top 10 Lists:

In many cities and suburbs, parents find it very difficult to drop and pick their children from school. It happens mostly for primary and secondary schools which are far off from the residential quarters. Therefore school authorities are obliged to provide the transportation services. But due to surplus population and limited means of transportation, children are dealing with the real brunt as they are loaded in the school and private vehicles.

In metropolitan cities, school vans and private vans are overloaded with children, many of whom are just kids. A small van which can carry about 8 children comfortably, can be seen carrying more than 12 children and in worst possible cases more than 16. This leaves very little space for the children to sit comfortably in the vehicle.

Private vehicle owners go a step ahead as they are paid monthly charges by the parents. More children in the vehicle mean more money. Parents who cannot afford to hire a cab or provide for transportation are thus compelled to go for these shared vans. Poor children can’t even complain or argue for their case.

As per reports published on a website, the ministry of primary and secondary education in Bangalore will go ahead with the issuance of a notice to check the overloaded school vans, failing which the government will take an action against the perpetrators.

Many preschool chains in India try and put forth the image that theirs is the best preschool network in India, but the reality is quite contrasting. Most of these preschools aren’t professionally-managed or administered in a manner that can promise the quality of preschooling to be maintained across their branches/franchises. In order to become the best preschool network in India, it is important that the preschool’s franchise relationship and expansion set-up is exemplary.

Businesses & Franchise Model
There are three basic types of business that qualify for expansion through the Franchise model. These three are the distributorship, brand name licensing and business format franchise. Out of these three, preschool networks have been established on the business format type of franchises.

 Business-format franchise — this is the most common of all franchise formats where the Franchisee acquires the right to own a business system that has been set up by the franchisor. The franchisee pays because the franchisor already has an established brand name and an enviable track record. The payment is done in the name of a pre-determined royalty fee which is mentioned in the franchise agreement. This format is special because the franchisor-franchisee relationship doesn’t end with the financial aspect of the dealing. Rather, the franchisor is supposed to provide continued training, sales support, cost-cutting through bulk purchasing and marketing, advertisement support.

A reputed preschool network is more likely to have a master franchise or the presence of a regional director who are supposed to exude the attitude of the actual franchisor. In order to establish a good network in the country, a franchisor needs to maintain smooth-running relations with the franchisees. This isn’t an obligation that is being considered by the franchisor, because a better-performing franchisee essentially translates into better-earning franchisor, i.e. the franchisor earns through the royalties collected.

Franchisee Initiative — some people may mistake that all the professional obligations rest with the franchisor. In fact, the initiative taken by the franchisee plays a pivotal role in making a chain of preschools the best preschool network in India. This could be done through a number of means,
• Extending the public relations of the franchisor through business/formal or social networking.
• Giving ideas for improvement of curriculum of that brand of preschool.
• Helping the franchisor gain a realistic picture of what the client is expecting.

Franchises in Delhi

The national capital of India, Delhi, is a trade and commerce hub and there have always been ample opportunities for the entrepreneurs and investors here. Some great industrialists and business corporates started from this place only. Recently, the metropolis has witnessed a number of business activities and franchising is one among them.

What has helped franchising to grow in and around Delhi?

There are many factors responsible for the growth of franchising business in and around Delhi, like:

• Delhi is an important trade and commerce centre in North India. There is availability of plethora of resources needed to develop infrastructure. Building costs are much affordable.
• There are numerous financial institutions that help in providing the capital to entrepreneurs and investors in their projects.
• Man power and professional workforce is also one of the reasons making it a good destination for franchisors and investors.
• There is a huge population that has to be supported in the vicinity. With over 1.6 crore population, the city has to provide amenities to its people. 
• The accumulation of wealth is also one of the reasons for new startups that emerge now and then. 
• Foreign brands and services have made successful entry in the metropolitan cities, including Delhi. Thus, many service providers from outside India have been pouring into the city.

Popular Franchises Available in Delhi
So far the most happening industries and services for franchising near Delhi have been those of restaurants, food joints, clothing, retail shops and education institutions. The competition in most of them has reached to a critical mark, except school franchising. School franchising stems out of the education services and there are still a lot of opportunities available.

Advantages of Franchises in Delhi
Franchising is a proven business practice and is less risky than starting a project independently. Unless one is very much sure and confident of the success of the business proposal, there is always a risk of failure with early setbacks. However in business franchising, everything has already been put to practice and tested.

Are Indian Schools In Foreign Performing Better?

Recently there was a post on an online journal about CBSE affiliated school in gulf and various activities it was engaged in. For instance take the example of International Indian School Dammam.  The school is one of the popular institutions in Saudi Arabia. There are many other CBSE affiliated schools in Asia and gulf region.

A quick look at the curriculum and calender of these schools reveal that they have evolved into better institutions than the schools established in our own country. This may sound a concern to the educationists in the country. Our own experts at SHEMFORD have described many bottlenecks in the education system and particularly schools established in India.

Some of the points highlighted, which contribute in the under performance of our schools, have been given as:

• Underdeveloped Infrastructure
• Rigid and conventional methods of teaching
• Deficient qualified staff
• Primitive practices largely followed in schools
• Inappropriate curriculum

A few of the institutions in India, mostly private, have made a great progress in the last one decade. These schools are in no way less famous than those established in other countries. The people responsible for their achievements have studied, selected and implemented the best practices in education known throughout the world. These are the schools much needed in India.

This would be the eighth All India Engineering Entrance Examination for students seeking bachelor’s degree in engineering, technology, architecture and planning. After qualifying the tests, the successful candidates will be admitted in NITs, IITs and government funded engineering colleges and institutions.

Papers

Candidates will have to appear in two papers. The first paper will include the subjects Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. The second paper will consist of Mathematics, Aptitude Test and Drawing (for architect and planning courses).

Dates and Timings

Date: 6.04.2009
Timings: 0930-1230 Hours – Paper 1 – Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics
1400-1700 Hours – Paper 2 Mathematics- Part I Aptitude Test-PartII & Drawing Test-Part III

Eligibility

In General Category, candidates born on or after October 1, 1984 can appear in the examinations. Candidates in Schedule Caste (SC), Schedule Tribe (ST) or Physically Handicapped) born on or after October 1, 1979 can appear in the exams.

Applying

Candidates can apply online and submit their applications within one month’s time, which is from 05.Dec 2008 to 05 Jan 2009. Payments can be made by demand draft, credit card or challan forms.        

School Admissions – An Advice To Parents

It is admissions time and parents are already feeling the edginess to get their child admitted in the preferred school. To seek an admission in the right school has become a speciality, and parents who have a kid admitted in the school can tell you more. It is more complicated for parents who seek nursery admission for their children.

There are many reasons that make school admission process a taxing job for the parents. One of the most obvious one is the limited seats or admissions in the schools. The number of preferred schools is less and there are limited seats available in the schools. These factors are responsible for selection processes, wherein schools favour the selection of the appropriate candidates.

In nursery school admission, it has been argued that schools must not offer admission on the basis of such criteria which may turn unfavourable to the less privileged class. It is true that the judgement of not selecting a child based on few questions and answers asked to the child itself or the candidates is   somewhat flawed.

The true potential of the child is realized much later and even then an education institution cannot deny the right of education to those who face natural difficulties in reading, comprehension, retention or any other aspect. That is where a good school and institution provides the remedy. Rather than selecting and polishing the studious and intelligent students, a good school educates trains and builds competencies even the most disadvantaged students.

Is Your Child Prepared For The Interviews
Interviews have been discouraged by government authorities following unfair practices in the last few years. However, admitting children without even a single question asked or an interaction is also not a very good idea. The education providers or schools have the right to know as who is being admitted in the school. But interactions in this regard may be limited and favour all.

Some commonly asked questions in nursery admissions are given below:

• The age of the child? Parents have to mention the age of the child and also provide proof for the same. The question may be asked to the kid as well.

• About the health of the child – schools make sure that they have the information regarding allergies or any health related issue with the child to be admitted.

• Potty training. During parent interactions school authorities might ask about the potty training, about tantrums or any peculiar information which might help to know the child better.

• Children are asked such questions as – what is your name, what is your father’s name, what is your mother’s name? Do you have any brother? How much old are you? How much old is your brother? What is the colour of your clothes? How many days are in week? What comes after Tuesday?

Notifications and Dates
The month of December is a high time for school admissions in most North Indian states. Admissions and admission process continue till January, after which the rate slows down. Notifications and dates are often published in the newspapers and through advertisements in local channels. Parents need to have a close watch on the notifications and important dates to avoid any discomfort later on.

Understanding the Brand Value

Brand equity or value is basically a measure of the total value of a particular brand, i.e. this kind of evaluation is done in a very comprehensive manner. A brand could be in the form of an indefinable asset and the established market value of a franchisor could be more than the countable/physical assets like land, employees, machines, etc. Brand value is decided mainly by the market demand and in that regard, by the customer loyalty — the extent of customers who repeatedly by goods of the same brand. Therefore, brands offering their franchise merely aren’t offering a business opportunity but also the market goodwill and reputation that have been established over the years. A franchisee in turn benefits from immediate recognition as the brand already has a market presence which translates into immediate customer presence and thus, the profits begin pouring in much sooner as compared to a traditional business venture.

Regional Factors — brands offering their franchise have to be very careful about the regional, geographical locations proposed by the franchisee for setting up a branch. This is because of several factors.

1. The franchisor’s brand may be very market specific. For example, luxury brands like the very high-end watch segment has a very limited and highly profitable customer base. Now, these customers would usually be found in the most reputable urban locales. If the franchisor decides to open a branch in semi-urban, rural or township kind of an area, the credibility and the exclusiveness associated with the brand would dip. This would mean that the existing customers would associate the brand with lesser prestige value. Combined together, these factors would eventually lead to erosion of the brand’s worth and demand.
2. The franchisee location is very important for brands offering their franchise with regards to the concentration factor. For example, in the southern part of a city a company may already have two fully-functional and profitable franchisees. Now, if the parent company decides to award a third franchise opportunity in the same area, it could eat into the profit margin of the existing franchisees. This also means less-than-expected returns for the new franchisee. The density of a brand in a region also decides the exclusiveness of a brand. There is a thin line separating exclusiveness and availability and the franchisor has to take care of that.
3. Brands offering their franchise have to take calculate the future prospects of a given region. For example, in India, there are many semi-urban areas that cannot presently offer the customer volume of a metropolitan but in the near future have the potential to provide greater customer numbers. It makes sense to establish low-profit oriented but growth-assured kind of franchises in such areas.

The Department of Welfare in association with G.B. Pant Hospital and College organised a presentation to the school children on the occasion of Hepatitis Day, on December 4. The agenda or primary goal of this exercise was to spread information about hepatitis among the school children. Also, the organiser wanted to promote the idea of organ donation to save lives of many people who are affected by the disease.

 This year it was the school children of age 12-16, which was considered as the focus group. The children did show much interest and were present on the occasion in good numbers. The awareness about the disease, which take a heavy toll, will help in educating the children from an early age.  

 Experts believe that the information disbursed through children may also reach the parents in a positive way. There has been a lot of emphasis on extending the safety net to the majority of the population, which is still vulnerable to the risks.

 SHEMROCK Group of Schools welcomed such exercises and workshops to educate the children on health related topics and concerns. The schools and the society itself conduct many workshops and programmes, to spread the message.  In the last six months a number of programmes were conducted which were observed with active participation from the parents.

SBI, STATE BANK OF INDIA, CLERICAL EXAM FINAL RESULT, EXAM HELD ON JUNE 1

 To know the result you can either find it in the lists given below or click on the link

http://sbi.co.in/downloadfile.jsp?fileid=1705