-By ArdorComm Media Bureau
December 21, 2023
“If you break down the name into three pieces it’s a kids, zone, and India so this is what we combined it together” said Sudhir Kukreja, Co Founder, Credence International Schools at ArdorComm New Normal- Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023” held in Pune, Maharashtra on 24th November 2023.
We would like to know more about your organisation how are you expanding and what is your mission of expansion?
I think the recent development that has happened in our group is the addition of the Kidzonia international preschools. Immediately after the pandemic, there was a significant need for some high-quality preschools. Because of the course aftermath, Kidzonia has taken a real challenge, I’ll say mandate to set up a chain of company-owned company-operative preschools. Very high-quality premium schools we have launched, about 27 branches in the last 2 years. All these branches are located across Mumbai, and Hyderabad and now we are launching 10 branches in Pune. In another one-two month you will start seeing the presence of Kidzonia in Pune. We already have a very strong presence in Navi Mumbai-Hyderabad where we are operating 12-13 branches each catering to almost 5000+ children. Along with it, we have started Credence International School in Hyderabad and we are now expanding with two more campuses in the coming year. They are already ready and on the verge of being launched and announced everything. So that’s been our journey I think the pandemic has been a blessing in disguise opening up the market for preschools and a lot of demand for the parents for some high-quality stuff. And that is what we identified as the market gap and maybe our group’s well-played store take care of it that is what we are trying to offer.
As we know due to NEP now preschools is also coming under a formal structure how is this going to help your growing organisation
I think NEP is actually a blessing for us why it is a blessing for us because if you look at the history of India for last 60 years we have never had education in a space or early child education in a space where it had a formal structure where it had a kind of controller or a just like you have a CBSE or NCERT or government of India intervention so this was the first time where nep is actually going to governed the working and functioning of preschools there are going to be guidelines just the way you have for a high school and CBSE affiliation guidelines etc there are going to be guidelines and certain rules to be followed when they are working in schools now in preschools entire thing gets ruled out lets understand their two kind of preschools in the industry people who are doing the best in the industry and the people who are not doing the best and industry people who are taking care of the needs of the children people who are absolutely thoughtful and careful about the what is going what is that child development needs are and what needs to be done if you come to Kidzonia preschool today right from the child safety to his development needs to his psychological emotional development each of these expect is very finally taken care of and this is something which we have working on I wouldn’t say maybe your after any PS coming this it’s a part of our credence International School right from our Inception days in 2012 and today I Think what we have done is we have taken that same standard to a preschool level we probably have a lot to offer to the industry and maybe anybody in the industry wants to come and exchange that knowledge with us we are more than happy to partner. So when the NEP gets rolled out, we will be the best place for people in the industry to kind of show the way around that okay this is what and how it needs to be done. We have done our own research with a lot of industry. Witness people who are a part of our core team, our corporate design team, the curriculum design team, the interior, and everything that’s done there is a lot of thought that has gone into designing and creating and that is the reason the idea of the company-owned company-operated because the moment you start franchising it get because you can’t pass on that same thing to a Thousand partners. That is the reason we are concentrated in Mumbai, Pune, and Hyderabad we will definitely expand to a different city, it takes time to sweat out over time to get what you intend to do.
What is the exact meaning of the word Kidzonia?
So if you break down the name into three pieces it’s a kids, zone, and India so this is what we combined it together. It’s a kids zone to have their own life, have their own fun, have their own journey of learning and fun. It’s more often an experiential world for a child so it is way away from the theoretical aspect of it. The way you are doing some root learning or making the children write and stuff like that. It’s about giving a child experience while in his early years of development. We have heard of those development theories and then multiply intelligence but if you take a look of the best of the brands in the industry today while we talk about it a lot. When it comes to the floor of the ground how much intelligence are we talking about in this conference? We are talking about multiple Intelligences and that kind of thing how many preschools have a television in every class? How many teachers are trained on how to handle the audiovisuals and make the children learn from the audiovisuals? We have made it a part of it, We have always said that okay, screen time is bad. It’s bad when you do it beyond a limit. If I am offering 15 minutes of screen time to every child after doing rhymes theoretically and writing an audio-visual thing is adding to him and there are the best of the brain in the world who said this, It is great to learn from audiovisuals. Why we are depriving the children just because there is a cost? So we have to come over those invasions and say that all that it’s an important part of the process we need to know and we need to learn how do we structure that integrate that in a way that it becomes productive it becomes kind of support system for a child it becomes enjoyment for a child that all right I am learning it.
You look at your children, Our family, any child in this world, children would love to watch cartoons. I have really come across a child who doesn’t watch cartoons. Can I create a curriculum that is fed inside the cartoon stories? There are so many moral stories which we are now animated and now converted and they’re happy to watch. You like that animated version of Ramayan-Mahabharat children are happy to do it but if you give them Ramanand Sagar Mahabharat they will not sit and watch it. Isn’t that a solution for me to look at? So you have to think of those alternate ways and that is what Kidzonia is coming into the picture where we saying that we need to create those long-lasting enjoyable experiences for learning processes. Whether it is audio-visual, whether it is technological, Whether it is AI, Whether it is hands-on equipment, let’s do that! That is what the thought process on which Kidzonia has established
We have recently completed our 2 years and we are celebrating our second anniversary for ArdorComm media any message you like to give.
Kudos to the team kudos to the leader wish you all the best I am sure this is 2nd year for you but there are 20 more to come and have a great journey which I am sure we will witness with you around.