1. Why is it important to undertake a Project Feasibility Study of the proposed new school?
There are numerous times when clients undertaking a new school project directly jump to the architectural phase
without analysing its feasibility, preparing the financials and without prior knowledge or considerations of legal
stipulations/approvals which may hinder and even stop the construction process completely.
A lot of capital/investment will be utilised into the new school setup and functioning and such an approach of skipping
the assessment phase may make it hard to realise if the approach was providing the sought after outcomes.
For evading uncertainty, elongated execution time problems and to guarantee that we make the project a profitable one,
we recommend a factual study to opt for a justifiable project concept. These are some of the questions that can be
answered through the study:
- 1. Does the proposed location require a school?
- 2. What is your target populace of students and parents?
- 3. What kind of gaps does your school aim to fill in the education sector of that location?
- 4. What are the threats that can be encountered w.r.t the project?
- 5. What are the requirements for the school to be functioning successfully?
- 6. What are the costs related to setting up a school?
- 7. What is the duration for the setup of a school?
Our research study follows these stages:
| Evaluation of Market Scenario |
| Recommendations w.r.t Evaluation |
| Comprehensive Fiscal and Monetary Budget Reports |
| Legal Stipulations, Affiliation Directives & Other Compliances |
2. Do I need to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) before starting a school?
DPR is an all inclusive development proposal which is prepared with inputs from the clients who express an interest in
opening a new school. It provides a summary of the legitimacy of the project including key measures for the banks or
investors (e.g., Internal Return Rate, break-even point or other appropriate measures of project value) and for
lenders/donors (e.g., coverage ratios to show the project’s ability to support debt).
The following provides an overview of the DPR:
| Project Feasibility |
Administrative Structure & Guidelines |
| Architectural & Infrastructure Planning |
Academic and Curriculum Management |
| Procurement Services |
Operations Management |
| Brand Development and Management |
Audit Services |
Hiring and Induction Management |
Affiliation Guidance Services |
3. What are the Affiliations/Boards available for India and abroad?
There is a diverse variety of education boards in India. Most of the affiliations are familiar terms for parents, but some of
them are not very common. Depending on the type of project, client’s requirements as well as our Project Feasibility
Study, we shall determine the appropriate board for you.
Pre-Primary projects do not have affiliations but they follow various kinds of educational methods. These are:
- Montessori
- Reggio Emilia
- Waldorf
- High Scope
- Bank Street
- Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
These are the main affiliations available to schools in India.
- State Board: State Government Recognized Board
- CBSE and CBSE International
- ICSE
- IB
- IGCSE
4. What are the costs involved in setting up a new school?
The costs involved in starting a new school are dependent on multiple factors. But the first and foremost aspect is the
location of the project. Here are a few variables listed:
- Proposed Location/Site
- Proposed strength of the school
- Target populace
- Architectural/Infrastructural expense
- Proposed f acilities being provided
- Academic, sports and extra-curricular activities proposed
- Recruitment and training of staff
- Brand management of the school
5. When can I expect a break-even from my school project?
We have noticed a break-even period ranging from 1-5 years for our medium financed projects and a period of 5-10
years for high financed projects.
Nevertheless, one should take force majeure events and other unforeseen situations into account. Thus, rigorous
financial planning is important to maintain a steady flow of liquidity/funds to maintain operations of the school.
6. What are the legal approvals required to set up a new school?
Our legal team helps you in preparing documents and applications required for each of these approvals required from
the government:
- Founding documents of the Trust/Society/Company
- Affidavit of the non-proprietary Trust/Society/Company
- Memorandum of Association between the school and the Trust/Society/Company
- Land and School Building Documents
- Ownership documents, Sale deed or Lease Deed
- Change of Land Use certificate for the land of the school building
- Map approved by the Municipal Authority
- Building blueprint
- Building Safety Certificate
- NOC issued by the State Education Department or the ‘Essentiality Certificate’
- State Board Affiliation
- Employees’ EPF and ESIC registration
7. What are the land and infrastructural requirements to set up a new school?
The requirements depend on the affiliation chosen for the proposed school project.
CBSE: It can vary anywhere from 1600-4000 square metres depending on the tier of cities and the streams provided. It
has a different stipulation for non-cities and hilly areas. Adequate infrastructure including space for playgrounds, labs etc
are listed on their official website.
ICSE: As of now, a minimum of 2000 square metres is prescribed as the land required. This may be updated from time
to time. Adequate infrastructure including space for playgrounds, labs etc are listed on their official website.
IB and IGCSE: Unlike CBSE and ICSE there is no stipulated land or infrastructural requirements mentioned. Their key
word is adequate. Thus when a client applies for these affiliations, a school consultant will come and visit the premises
and ascertain if the available land and resources are enough to sustain an IB/IGCSE affiliation.
8. What are BB Barman Academy’s 'Diverse Services’ and how do they help the students?
Apart from our School Consultancy Services, we have a range of services for students. This includes career guidance,
student exchange programmes, twinning programmes, international distance education courses and internships abroad.
We have specialised teams in place for each of these services that provide individual services(single student) as well as
institutional services(entire school).
You can visit our ‘Diverse Services’ segment on the website for more information.
9. I want to Buy/Sell/Lease a school. Where can I avail these services?
We have listed a Buy/Sell/Lease School module on our website where you can put up your
school for sale, buy an existing school or lease your current school. We will tailor the options for you according to your
requirements.
10. Is an affiliation required before starting the school?
No. An affiliation is not required before starting a school. What you do require is approval from the State Education
Department with documents about school operations.
Still, we would strongly suggest undertaking our Project Feasibility Study which will formulate school plans from scratch
by assessing the market. Keep in mind that the affiliation will also modify or change the school model to a great degree
depending on the land or infrastructural requirements of a board. Similarly, academic planning is incomplete without the
foundation of an affiliation.
11. What are the membership norms of a Trust/Society running the school? Can it have family members/relatives?
The members of the family comprising a Trust/Society should not cross the limit of majority i.e. 50%. A declaration
needs to be made about the same in a non-proprietary affidavit by the Chairman.
It is advised that the same rule should also be applied while forming School Management Committees and/or School
Governing Boards.
12. Can I apply for CBSE affiliation for a school on a rented building?
If a rented building is being held on lease for a minimum of 30 years, they may apply for CBSE affiliation. There are
other stipulations with regards to land and infrastructure. More information about the same can be found on ‘New School
Setup for ‘CBSE/ICSE/IB/IGCSE’ section of our website or the official website for CBSE
13. Is it necessary to have a State Board affiliation to apply for CBSE/ICSE affiliation?
Yes, there are two steps to it. Firstly, the school needs to be affiliated to the State Board through an approval from the
State Education Department. Secondly, the Department also needs to issue a No-Objection Certificate with regards to
the school being subsequently affiliated to either CBSE or ICSE.
14. Does the salary and compensation for teaching and non-teaching staff have to be in line with the guidelines of the
State Education Department?
The guidelines of the State Education Department is keeping in line with the Labour Laws of the country and minimum
wage requirements for skilled professions. While the salary can be below the required guidelines, it is imperative to to
have an EPF registration for each employee. The degree to which it can be below the State guidelines depends on the
tier of the city or location where a particular school is located. It will be verified if the salary is in line with the standard
and cost of living in that region.
15. What are the charges of BB Barman Academy’s services?
It is obvious that each project will have its unique assessment and implementation procedures. This would lead to
differences in proposed outcomes as well as goals. Keeping this in mind, there is no fixed fee structure for our services.
Depending on the type of service being chosen, we formulate a chargeable model unique to each project. This can be:
- Per Day Basis: These are usually for consulting purpose and constitute support for the entire working day(9
am - 5 pm i.e. 8 hours)
- Service Basis: If you choose one of our Diverse Services then you are charged according to the services you
opt for.
- Fixed Monthly Fee: This is a model applicable to our improvement programmes or management services of
existing schools. There will be a monthly charge for the duration of the entire project.
- Percentage charge of the proposed cost of project: In relation to new schools, a percentage can be charged
from the estimated value of the project(this does not include the land value).
- Revenue/Profit Share: Depending on the stage at which the school is operational(new/existing), our company
charges a share of the revenue earned or the profits earned during a financial year by the school.
Our charging models are tailor made to every unique project. It is advised to have a consultation at our office to discuss
and assess the scope of your project and our role in it to conclude on the charges applicable.
