Launching a school is no different from a product, read six steps thought-provoking post on how a new private school is launched in recent years and furthermore, comparison of private schools to corporate or rather with a business entity.
Is it the right time to compare Indian private schools with outright corporate who are here to run business and increase their profits in percentages and have pre-planned business & expansion plans? They boast of their success by adding numbers of schools in one academic year and adopting technology to lure parents.
It is time to decode how private schools are launched in India. The new schools come geared up with strategy and pre-launch plans in the form of full-fledged market tactics exactly in the same fashion as any other product is launched in the market. The entire stepladder is analyzed, step-by-step process is followed initiation, publicity plan, and sales conversion just like any juice or chocolate is launched in the market.
Six Steps to Launch Private Schools
Step 1 Identify, Parents as Customers
Now let us take school’s customers i.e., parents. The school journey starts with tall promises without any possibility of testing it. If the school is new then parents may have the privilege to go around and peek in how classrooms look like. If parents want admission in the more established school then you will have to go through arrogant administrative staff who will give you minimal information about their offerings. This eager tete a tete will be possible after probably waiting in a long queue.
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The product is launched in the market tried and tested amongst the very lot of actual buyers and feedback is incorporated into the product to make it the best. Every wrapper of chocolate & juice box comes loaded with customer care numbers and for durable goods, warranty and exchange policy is well spelt out. Matter of fact is corporate and business entities are honest and clear of their objectives, they come bang on in the market with a strategy that customer is the king & customer service is the key to success.
An admission form is handed over to the parents, for a cost of Rs 200-1000, the school does not bother whether you are taking admission or not. Sale method 1 is accomplished with this..jpg)
Step 2 Hefty Price Tag to Schools with Facilities
If you are looking for a school with the tagline –‘modern facilities and technology that rivals any other school’, you need to pay a hefty amount for that. The price tag commences in the early years of your child’s life with – mother tot programs, and then you have preschoolers program and regular school that starts from 6 years onwards.
It is very clear and simple everybody wants to have a piece of pie from big booming Indian education market; invest and gain is the mantra. Every year hundreds of schools are launched at different levels, with different boards and philosophies. Some are unaided; some are an unaided minority and others with the audacity of claiming to be affiliated with a board when they are affiliated with none of the boards. All this is perplexing and baffling parents, over this additional burden to learn new and difficult terminology and word list in an education arena. The terminology may be borrowed from other countries and the teachers and founder of the school may not be able to explain them is a content for another story altogether.
Step 3 Tall Promises Without Obligation
Unlike other products, targeting parents is very easy. All it takes is humble beginning with tall promises, well-crafted plan in the pocket for future expansion and sourcing of funds to break even. There are different jargons and methods used such as higher classes, building fund, sports ground, gadgets and gizmos for better security etc. Isn’t it right to say “EDUCATION IS FOR SALE” & of a different kind? However, the big issue that is attached to education is it is “private” with “public service” attached to it, which breaks the equation with modus operandi of schools as corporate.
Step 4 No Exchange & Return Policy
When parents are given a treatment of customers, then the consideration about exchange or return policy should be on offering too, however, this is a non-applicable field in the process. This admission form does not enlighten you with any trial or testing or return or exchange policy, but will provide a long list of dos & don’ts for parents which may indicate that you have no right to free expression.
The fee must be paid in lump sum, you will find special mention at all places, fee once paid will not be refunded. The condition prevails even if you want to move (due to any reason) six months prior to the end of academic session. This also includes transport fees, which may be anything from 20% to 50% of tuition fee.
The business entities give you a fair chance to return or exchange along with the provision to complain and give your valuable feedback. The customer is heard and not only heard based on these feedback product gets a new avatar to make existing customers happy.
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Step 5 Price Rationales Not Applicable
We all know how are products priced; it is gauged as per cost incurred in producing it, in addition, to profit margin at par with the competitors.
How schools add their profit margin is a matter of debate as there is no balance sheet transparency. The value added each year and hiking of fee is also a topic of debate. The corporate justifies it as per rise in the wholesale price index of their ingredients. However, schools hike it by 10% to 20% and in some cases 50% without rationale and justification.
Step 6 Sans Customer Service
Last step but not the least; customer care service must be the best in such schools but unfortunately, the management of school most of the time is unreachable and the so-called helpdesk can guide parents only on the matter of daily errands. There is no grievance or feedback mechanism in place to raise bigger concerns.
Despite, well-established empirical evidence of positive outcomes of parent’s involvement and participation in child’s schooling, schools in India desires to provide a limited opportunity of interaction between parents and teachers through 3-4 parents-teachers meetings per academic year.
Via Law for Starting Schools
When you dig deeper, the law of starting a school in India surprises you and puts you in profound thinking mode. Contradictory to Indian law which states – “to start the school it is mandatory to form a trust or society as under either India Trust Act or Societies Registration Act which needs to be a non-profit organization.” To put this in simple terms the profit gained from the school should be used for education institute and not for personal benefit. Now with this, several eyebrows are raised at existing schools and trustees, and equally on guardians of the law.
The school education is for sale sans parents say and involvement is a matter of concern for all the parents who shell out a hefty amount of money towards their children’s future. The key to success for any school should be boasting about their students' achievements not just in academic excellence but, in inculcating moral & civic values, imparting holistic education not in literal sense but in a true sense.
Yet we see hoardings of school just like products, if parents are customers then have the courage to give customer care service, treat them like valuable customers, and include in strategy for feedback and improvements as per customer demands.
“Our children are not statistics, they are future.”
