Birla Brainiacs, an online school from Nursery to grade 12th claims to have a strong background in education, including owning schools and offering various courses. The school claims to have developed a skill development programme and aims to provide students with the benefits of both traditional schooling and homeschooling by utilising their existing infrastructure. This approach is designed to give students the comfort of studying at home while maintaining the feel of a school environment, Muddassar Nazar, CEO, Birla Brainiacs, told FE Education. “We operate a network of 160 schools throughout India and our goal is to harness the potential of these schools to promote the idea of homeschooling. Birla Brainiacs possesses a considerable advantage thanks to its 42 years of expertise in the field of education. Consequently, we envision an opportunity to combine conventional school education with homeschooling.” he said.
Birla Brainiacs claims to have enrolled around 2,000 students, comprising eight different countries, with a substantial 20-25% representing international students. Moreover, the institution claims to actively pursue international expansion, with a strong focus on the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia and Dubai. Birla Brainiacs intends to establish schools in these regions. “Our existing students are strong advocates, referring new students at a rate of 23-24%, with a remarkable 60% conversion rate,” Nazar said.
The school claims that its skill development programme includes coding, music, robotics, financial literacy and communicative English. This programme is designed to be offered on the premises of their schools. This initiative aims to provide students with various skill development opportunities and educational experiences while allowing them to study at home. “Our objective is to provide homeschooling students with a structured and nurturing environment. Birla Brainiacs’ portfolio of 160 schools serves as hubs for homeschooling students, enabling them to undertake examinations, engage in extracurricular activities and further develop their skills,” he said.
The fee structure for Indian students entails a cost of approximately Rs 65,000- 70,000 per grade. International students, on the other hand, are subject to a fee structure ranging from Rs 1 lakh to 1,50,000. “Our teaching staff is diverse, ensuring that the educational experience is culturally tailored. This means that French students will be taught by French teachers, while American students will receive instruction from American teachers, creating a more specialised learning environment,” he said.
The school claims to follow the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) curriculum. It further claims to focus on comprehensive education and upskilling which includes a range of subjects and certification programmes. “We have our own training academy for teachers. We are committed to enhancing the abilities and qualifications of our educators. A bachelor’s degree in education is a prerequisite certification for all of us teachers. To continually improve our teaching skills, we participate in quarterly training sessions led by skilled professionals. These sessions encompass a wide range of topics, including leadership skills, problem-solving techniques and interactive teaching methods,” Nazar explained.