India’s Ed-tech unicorn Byju’s is reportedly planning to invest approximately USD 200 million towards establishing offline tuition centers which will provide education to students from grades 4 to 10 over the next 18 months.
Byju’s has been eyeing the offline space for a while, especially after acquiring tutoring firm Aakash Education Services through a cash-and-stock deal of around USD 950 million last year. It has already opened 80 offline locations in 23 cities, with added expansion plans to 500 locations in 200 cities this year.
Mrinal Mohit, Byju’s Chief Operating Officer, stated that many parents believed that children should have access to offline centers and physical intervention, and hence, the company decided to expand into offline space through 'Byju's Tuition Centre,' which would be based on an omnichannel learning strategy.
The COO further added that these centers would be equipped with high-quality online learning materials, analytics-driven assessment, and will be accompanied by physical teachers to boost learning results. Each center will have an average of 30-40 teachers, most of which will be hired and trained by Byju's.
The company, which was previously valued at USD 21 billion, is planning to hire at least 4,000 new teachers for its tuition centers this year. It also plans to hire 10,000 people who will run these 500 upcoming centers.
While these offline centers will primarily focus on mathematics and science, they will also provide kids with holistic development opportunities such as counseling and Olympiads. According to Byju's, the classes will cost around USD 46.61 per month.
Himanshu Bajaj, the Head of Byju’s tuition center, stated that the firm has taken inspiration from Aakash's hybrid learning model and how they structure their customer learnings, courses, and increase student engagement in physical classrooms.
For scaling Byjus’s physical centers, the company will also venture into grasp compliances, offer best operational practices, and marketing activities. The company will also explore incorporating some of its acquisitions into its offline tuition centers.
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