Early Education: Definitely lucrative business as demand continues to grow

Early Education: Definitely lucrative business as demand continues to grow

Burhanuddin Abe, Contributor, Jakarta

Today, parents in major cities seem to recognize the importance of early education for their children. In Jakarta, for instance, numerous educational centers for children below the age of five have mushroomed in recent years. This boom has been triggered mostly by the needs of upper-middle- and upper-class families who have little time to attend to their children's early educational requirements. Seeing a great opportunity to reap profits, many have jumped on the bandwagon and established such services.

Siska, a two-year-old girl, was a bundle of joy on the way to her "campus" with her mother for her first day at a playgroup in Menteng, Central Jakarta. This playgroup, with 10 pupils in each of its classrooms, was enveloped in an atmosphere of true merriment.

Ivan Illich -- one of the modern thinkers -- may well criticize the existence of educational centers that "shackle" today's human beings but these play groups are in great demand, including the one mentioned earlier, and cater to infants from one year to three years old. This franchisee of a U.S.-based institution has astutely taken advantage of the small business opportunity in Indonesia's major cities. Although almost every residential area has a playgroup, a new player in this field can still manage to squeeze into this particular segment.

Within two years after its establishment, the playgroup's pupils has grown to 600. "There have been a lot of requests to open more branches, but we prefer to concentrate on the existing ones," said one of its managers, who wished to remain anonymous.

In July 1992, a franchisee of Lorna Whiston Study Centre, based in Singapore, started its business in Jakarta. According to SWA business magazine, some 500 pupils enrolled there within three years. Its focus is more on teaching English language to all of its pupils.

Though each school's curriculum may vary, the basic aim is very much the same: to motivate children to become more active, independent and self-confident. The children learn while playing as well as through games and songs. Simple greetings, like "good morning" and "good afternoon", are repetitiously drilled so that they get used to using them when coming to and leaving the school.

For toddlers, the lessons focus more on their motoric capabilities through the various games and equipment. "I used to worry about my daughter when she was taught to climb up the stairs. I thought it was too much for a two-year-old, but then I realized that such things are part of their motoric education," commented Rahayu, who works in an advertising agency.

With a population of about 25 million children below the age of five and whose parents may both be working, the need for such educational centers is undoubtedly enormous and so are the opportunities for reaping profits.

Rahayu disclosed that one of the reasons she had enrolled her daughter was due to her busy schedule as a career woman. As she and her husband had to work, she wished that her child's development was neither hampered nor lagged behind other children's. "I'm not a trend follower, but I really believe in the importance of education that starts very early," she said.

Lessons at these play groups differ from those given at kindergartens. The younger the pupils, the simpler the education: For example, children aged 1.5 years are taught how to wash their hands properly, discard used tissues and appropriate toilet manners. Singing and identifying colors and the like are all wrapped up in a playful spirit.

What makes the local play groups different from their franchised counterparts is the curriculum. The domestic ones tend to teach more formally, like having the pupils sit properly in their seats, wear uniforms, learn to write and count from one to 10 and do some homework.

The foreign-based playgroups, on the other hand, stimulate more creativity, as the pupils may sit or lie on the floor where they can play a variety of games with abundant toys. Here, the tables and chairs are not in neat order. "Everything is based on playing and games. The children can then easily absorb the concrete sense of arithmetic as they count real fruit and toys, which makes more sense than counting or writing abstract numbers," said Tika Bisono, a child psychologist, whose child attends one of the playgroups in the city.

Toddlers, meanwhile, are guided to recognize words, their names, to walk and dance. Next they are also taught to identify colors, animals and to communicate better through games and songs. This way a child is expected to be more independent, confident and creative.

The Gymboree playgroup has some 60 games based on those used for U.S. children, such as jumping, diving into a pool, somersaulting etc., which often shocks a number of local parents. However, the seemingly dangerous games have been adapted to the capability range of each age group and the games are all organized in a spirit of fun.

The KeenKids Children Center provides a variety of toys to stimulate children's intelligence, such as those connected to logic, mathematics, language, music, kinetics as well as visual and interpersonal communications skills. It also has a mini zoo that has small animals, like rabbits, hens, tortoises and fish to develop the pupils' intelligence in relation to their environment and to nature. Also available is a mini museum with five items of equipment: Thunder Ball, Jacob's Ladder, Hand Generator, Insect Sound and Hatchery.

Starting a business related to children's education, as admitted by most of the owners and managers, is indeed quite costly. An investment of at least Rp 300 million is required to set up one branch, excluding the games equipment and toys, which are mostly imported. At Gymboree more than 40 items of such equipment are available. Teacher salaries are quite high and match international standards, while some schools provide them with cars and accommodation.

It is not too surprising, therefore, that the enrollment and monthly fees of these playgroups are equal, if not higher, than those for schools of older children. Some even charge Rp 1 million for the registration fee and about Rp 5 million for a three-month course, while High Scope, for example, charges even more.

At such rates, it is obvious only the upper class can afford to enroll their children at these playgroups. Tika Bisono has an idealistic hope that one day soon these institutions will also open their doors to non-governmental organizations or volunteer groups with a kind of cross-subsidy to cover their expenses so that even less privileged children can also receive the early education they deserve.

In the meantime, as long as upper-class parents are occupied with their careers while at the same time wanting their children to develop better and be smarter, there is plenty of opportunity in this business.