Aakash+BYJU’S, the offline centre run by the ed-tech company, plans to expand its presence by opening more centres across 20 locations in Mumbai in the next two months, Amit Singh Rathore, regional director west, Aakash+BYJU’S, told FE Online, however refused to give the total number of stores. “In addition, we have two functional centres in Pune, and three are in the pipeline for this year. Next, the plan is to launch our centres in tier 3 and 4 cities to make test preparatory teachings readily available to all students across all regions,” Rathore added. The company has more than 250 centres across 24 states and union territories and plans to mark its presence across Maharashtra.
The investment for opening one centre is about Rs 2.5-3 crore, with the maximum spending on manpower, infrastructure and marketing.
The company launched its ninth classroom centre at Mulund in Mumbai on March 16, 2022. The centre comprises six classrooms accommodating up to 600 students. It will cater to students preparing for medical and engineering entrance examinations and provide foundation-level courses for competitive examinations and courses to strengthen their basics.
As per the firm, the programs help to prepare students for various examinations through conceptual and application-based learning. The centre conducts classes in the morning and evening on weekdays and weekends. Each batch holds 10 to 12 classes with a strength of about 40 to 50 students, as per Rajput. Students can either take the instant admission cum scholarship test (iACST) or register for ANTHE (Aakash National Talent Hunt Exam) to take admission in Aakash+BYJU’S. The average duration of the batches varies from one to four years, with course fees ranging from Rs 70,000 to Rs 4.5 lakh.
As far as real-estate is concerned, Rathore explained that it depends on the number of students opting for the test preparatory courses and schools. The average size for large centres is about 10,000 to 12,000 square feet of carpet area with 10 to 12 classrooms, and small branches are spread across 3,000 to 4,000 square feet carpet area having five to six classrooms.
Read also: WNS Cares Foundation partners with PIF to impart cybersafety education to children and youths