Nurturing the minds of tiny-tots

Widely acclaimed for its innovative teaching techniques, Shemrock Group of Schools provides rich learning environment for the tiny tots. In an interview, Dr Bimla Arora, Founder and Director, Shemrock Group of Schools shares the success story of her enterprise.

Ramanjit Kaur (RK): Brief us the inception of Shemrock Group of Schools.

Bimla Arora (BA): It all started when me and my husband were looking for a suitable playschool for our own daughter. With all the qualities that we were looking for in a playschool helped us envision a school that would provide the children with a rock solid foundation, with proper environment and quality growth. We developed the idea of starting our own preschool that was based on our 30 years of academic experience in India and abroad. We started a model school with the simple aim of creating a child-friendly harmonious environment focusing on the satisfaction of child’s inquisitive mind and thorough concept clarity.

RK: What inspired Shemrock Group of Schools to take the franchise route to expand the brand?

BA: We got into franchising in 1990. We believe in working with systems, therefore, we took the franchise route to expand our presence across the nation. Moreover, the franchising model has helped us in successfully replicating our business in order to provide the same quality of education wherever we went.

RK: What is the USP of Shemrock? How it is different from other schools?

BA: Shemrock is known its unique thematic curriculum, which is managed by internationally renowned educationists. We provide a child-friendly stress-free environment and use innovative techniques for teaching our students. We organise ShemFAST – ‘Shemrock Families and Schools Together’ and SYNERGY’s (Shemrock’s Parent Participation Programme) ‘Bright Beginnings Parent Volunteer Programme’, where parents are invited to participate in the school activities according to their interest, skill and their time schedule. Furthermore, we provide multimedia and internet based teaching.

RK: What practices and initiatives have you introduced in the Shemrock Group of Schools?

BA: Shemrock is ‘a school that cares’. Personal attention, provision of healthy nutritious and hygienic meals for our students, stress on good habits, etiquettes, and personal assistance for the children are the special hallmarks of SHEMROCK. Parents appreciate having the peace of mind that comes from knowing that children are being supervised and taught by proficient faculty members and supportive staff in a safe and happy environment.

RK: What kind of background is necessary to secure the franchise of your company?

BA: There is no bar on educational qualifications but most of our franchisees are professionals in their respective fields. They all come from different walks of life but what we look for is dedication towards the brand, passion for education and love for small children. These are the prime important factors that a prospective franchisee must have to get associated with our brand.

RK: How many franchised schools do you presently have? What are your future target locations to expand?

BA: We currently have 140 schools spread across the country and also in Nepal. We are already well placed in northern India. The aim is to cover the rest of the country and spread the Shemrock history far and beyond the boundaries of our nation.

RK: What kind of training and support does a franchisee get after partnering with your company?

BA: We help our franchisees in every possible way. We provide them with proper training and guidance that they require to start and run a school. We also provide them with specially designed academic curriculums and software. Besides this, we help them in recruiting and in training the staff.

RK: What are the company’s future plans in terms of expansion through franchising?

BA: We are aiming to take the count of schools to 175 by the end of this fiscal year.