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Profiting from the Poor: the Emergence of Multinational Edu-businesses in Hyderabad, India Ensuring the Right to Education and India’s Constitutional Obligations
Even when women do run schools, they are still at the mercy (and hierarchy) of the market. For example, in Sudiksha pre-schools, rather than calling them teachers or school heads, edupreneurs have reconceptualised school staff as “women entrepreneurs” who rent and run the schools. According to their promotional materials, they recruit local women to run branches under an “incentivised profit sharing scheme”. Women entrepreneurs local to the community are found and lead the school’s growth. This provides accountability and investment within the local community and has been successful in attracting lower middle class women with some English education with an aptitude for business. Additionally, Sudiksha shares 10 per cent of its profits with its women entrepreneurs apart from their salary. Sudiksha Director, Kumar explained, “We wanted to identify women from 25-35 years old who want to do something – like start a preschool”. These women are usually educated, married and unemployed women who “left their careers for families, but once their kids go to school, they are looking for something to do.” They use a franchise approach and explain to the women, “We will invest in the school, but you will manage the school, recruit the children and bring in the money. We will support the training and provide the curriculum.” He explained their voluntary approach to starting and running a school: “It is not a salary that we pay them but it’s being responsible for something.” He added: “They want to come out of the house” and Sudiksha want people with “good values, support and respect”. 46 Sudik-
lic Education and Democracy at https://www.unite4education.org/uncategorized/the-panama-papers-public-education-and-democracy/. 46 The reproduction of caste prejudice and discrimination needs special attention to understand whether women and men from middle castes - i.e. small business families - are
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Profiting from the Poor: the Emergence of Multinational Edu-businesses in Hyderabad, India. Ensuring the Right to Education and India’s Constitutional Obligations