Dr. Kavitha Jain is vice president of the Secunderabad-based MDN (Mentor, Develop, Nurture) Edify Education Pvt. Ltd (estb.2009). Promoted by the Hyderabad-based DRS group of companies (estimated annual revenue: Rs.500 crore), MDN Edify currently runs its flagship DRS International School in Secunderabad and a countrywide network of 59 DRS Kids preschools, five CBSE-affiliated K-12 Edify schools, and four K-12 MDN Future schools with an aggregate enrolment of 7,800 students and 825 teachers.
Newspeg. Edify is poised to launch four CBSE schools in Tirupati, Goa, Kerala and Bihar together with ten preschools count-rywide next year. Moreover, beginning next June all Edify group schools will introduce interactive student pads, currently being designed in collaboration with “reputed technology partners”. These internet-enabled hand-held devices will feature animated e-books, games and videos, apart from offering access to the school website.
Unique selling proposition. “The unique feature of Edify Education is that we deliver a holistic learning experience while simultaneously nurturing character and competence. Our schools are managed by well-trained academics, content developers, and technology and design experts who have pooled their expertise to create truly world-class education institutions,” says Jain, a management graduate of Rai University, Bangalore who was awarded a doctorate in transactional analysis by Bharathiar University, Coimbatore. The promoter-director of Attitude (estb.2001), a corporate solutions academy based in Coimbatore, Jain signed up with Edify Education in 2006, leading its transformation into one of the country’s fastest growing school chains.
History. Promoted in 2003 with an enrolment of 1,200 students, the IB/IGSCE and CBSE-affiliated co-educational DRS International School, Secunderabad was the first education initiative of the DRS group. Enthusiastic public response prompted the promotion of DRS Kids preschools and Edify schools, under the owned and franchise models.
Direct talk. “Our main objective is to shift emphasis in pre-university education from preparing students to earn a living, to teaching them how to live life with confidence, self-esteem, ethics and values. Innov-ation and technology — the keys to delivering successful education — drives us,” says Jain.
Future plans. Jain is optimistic about achieving Edify Education’s 2015 target of expanding the DRS Kids network to 200 playschools plus 50 K-12 branded schools, and estab-lishing nine teacher training centres apart from a business school. “Our development model combines owned and franchised pre and K-12 schools. Our goal is to emerge as globally respected K-12 education solutions providers,” says Jain fervently.
Wind beneath your wings!
Paromita Sengupta (Bangalore)