Statistics reveal that there are more than 1.4 million schools in India with more than 230 million children enrolled. This makes the Indian education system one of the largest in the world. Broadly, there are two types of schools – government and private schools. Schools funded and managed by the government authorities are government schools. Private schools are run and managed by trusts or societies. The educational reforms in the 1980’s in India impacted the education sector in a positive way. India is also known to have a large population of children who belong to the school-going age group. This huge demand has helped the school business in India to become a huge investment opportunity for people. More and more people are now wanting to open a school in India.

The Constitution of India ensures free and compulsory education for children between the ages of 6 and 14 years. Right to Education is a fundamental right in India. The ‘10+2+3’ pattern is followed in the Indian education system which means class X, followed by class XII and three years of graduation. The concept of pre-school or play school before the formal schooling system has also gained prominence in the Indian education sector. There are many renowned pre-school franchises across our country.

Schools can be a primary school, middle school, high school, or senior secondary school. There are multiple boards of education that the schools can get affiliated to for their curriculum and examination system. Some of the popular boards of education are the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Council of Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), and State Government Boards. National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) is for children in informal schooling system. The international boards of education have also gained popularity in many schools in urban regions of India.

The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) is a set of robust documents that lay guidelines for school education in India. It has clearly defined the vision and aim of education, and vision and scope of each of the subjects taught at school level. Each document is dedicated to one area and emphasizes on its importance. The objectives of teaching and learning different subjects and the methodology to teach those subjects are the core content of the NCF position papers. There is a dedicated document each on teacher education and early childhood care and education in India. Schools are required to follow the guidelines stated in the NCF documents.

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is another main body that provides guidelines for school education. Many CBSE and government schools follow the NCERT books. However, most private schools use books published by private publishers across our country.

School business in India has seen some changes in recent years. Technology is being used extensively in the school education space. Also, the school franchise business model is enabling the school education industry to grow multifold. CBSE school franchises as well as International school franchises are available. One of the trusted and reputed brands in this sector is the Millennium World School franchise. They have schools in over 40 cities across India. Such experienced and research-oriented organisations are bringing about a huge positive change in the education field in our country.