Schools lure parents with early bird offers, sibling discounts

BANGALORE: Schools seem to be taking their cue from malls now. They are luring in parents with all kinds of tempting discounts and deals. 'Walk in before March 31 and admission fee will be waived'. 'Admit two kids and pay for one'. 'If your child comes first in class, she'll get a scholarship the next year'. With schools mushrooming on the outskirts of the city, it's stiff competition to fill up classrooms. They're coming up with innovative ideas to attract parents, who are wrestling with tight budgets in these inflationary times. Offers are of various types — discount for twins and for siblings, early bird offers and continuity discount. "Our fees range from Rs 33,000 to Rs 45,000 but we can offer discounts up to Rs 2,000. This is no marketing technique. We want our parents to feel special when they decide to continue with our school. It's a recognition of their decision and to give them a sense of belonging," said Chandu Jain, director, Planet Kids. Similarly, Vyasa International School is offering a sibling discount — admit two kids and get a 10% discount on the tuition fee for one. "Some people bring in cousins but this offer is specifically for siblings. We encourage people from the same family to be with us," said Shwetha Banda, the school's public relations officer. Cambridge Junior School had twins coming in for admissions. "We waived 50% of the registration fee for a child -- the fee came down by 25% and transportation was free for one child," said the school principal Smita Tewari. Parents are not complaining. "I am happy that because of the competition among schools, parents will ultimately benefit. It's not just in terms of money but also in quality of education," said Mahadev Aiyyappa, the parent of a six-year-old boy. Some centres of Vibgyor High have waived admission fees which can be up to Rs 20,000. "We have some seats available and the offer is open till they're filled," said the receptionist in its campus. Parents can also negotiate over fees -- some schools give discounts based on salaries of the parents. Early bird offers for students seeking admissions in January are a popular tactic too. But it's for new schools that such marketing techniques matter the most. As one school principal put it: "After all, we need to start operations." Source: TOI