Covid effect: Over 1,000 schools up for sale across India

疫情影响：印度超过1000所学校待售

HYDERABAD: Over 1,000 KG-Class 12 schools in the country are up for sale, ho to pool in an investment of close to Rs 7,500 crore (roughly $1 billion) in the next two-three years, with the Covid-19 wave hitting India’s education sector hard.

海得拉巴：新冠肺炎疫情对印度教育部门造成了沉重打击，印度有1000多所学校准备出售，希望在未来两到三年内筹集近750亿卢比(约合10亿美元)投资。

Mostly on offer are private budget schools with an annual fee cap of Rs 50,000, shows data compiled by Cerestra Ventures, market leaders in the education infrastructure sector. About 80% of school education in India is catered to by this category of institutes.

教育基础设施领域的市场领军企业Cerestra Ventures汇编的数据显示，这些学校大多是年学费不超过5万卢比的私立学校。印度大约80%的学校教育是由这类机构提供的。

“Many state governments have put caps on fee collection even as schools are expected to pay salaries to teachers apart from bearing other overhead costs. This has made staying afloat a struggle for these institutions,” said Vishal Goel, partner, Cerestra. One large school chain had to slash non-teaching staff salaries by up to 70%, he added.

Cerestra合伙人Vishal Goel说：“许多邦政府已经设定了收费上限，尽管学校除了承担其他管理费用外还要支付教师工资，这使得这些机构难于生存”。他还说，一家大型连锁学校不得不将非教学人员的工资削减70%。

“Even funding has become difficult to come through with financial institutions hesitant on lending, owing to lack of clarity over how the situation will pan out. That has added to their woes,” he added. Goel’s company has an expansive portfolio 30 to 40 KG-Class 12 schools that it is eyeing to acquire at an estimated investment of roughly Rs 1,400 crore.

“由于形势不明朗，金融机构在放贷方面犹豫不决，就连融资也变得难以实现。这增加了他们的痛苦。”他补充道。其公司拥有30-40所学校，打算出售筹集140亿卢比投资。

Also scouting for quality assets are established education companies with “strong strategic interest”, said Prajodh Rajan, co-founder and group CEO of EuroKids International. The chain, which currently has 30+ KG-Class 12 schools in India, is also aggressively on the lookout.

EuroKids International联合创始人兼集团首席执行官普拉约德•拉詹表示，同时也在寻找优质资产的是具有“强烈战略利益”的老牌教育公司。该连锁学校目前在印度拥有12所学校，每所学校都有超过30个教学班。

Between Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana there are at least 20 to 25 schools that are looking for prospective buyers, said Rakesh Gupta, managing partner of LoEstro Advisors. The company had facilitated one of the biggest school acquisitions of 2019 — of Oakridge International by Hong Kong-based Nord Anglia Education.

LoEstro Advisors的管理合伙人拉凯什•古普塔说，在卡纳塔克邦、马哈拉施特拉邦和特伦加纳邦，至少有20至25所商学院正在寻找潜在买家。该公司促成了2019年规模最大的学校收购之一——总部位于香港的Nord Anglia Education收购了Oakridge International。

But will this trend increase the cost of education? “I do not think so. Though reopening a school might involve some added costs, everybody in the sector is sensitive towards students. I do not see fee structures crossing a certain limit,” said Rajan.

这种趋势会增加教育成本吗?拉詹说：“我不这样认为。尽管重新开办一所学校可能会增加一些成本，但该行业的每个人都对学生很敏感。我认为收费结构不会超过某个上限。”

The acquisitions might bring more stability to India’s education, feels RMC Reddy, managing director and CEO of Schoolnet India Limited, a pioneer in education technology. “Since these financial institutions and school chains have deeper pockets, it will also help reduce the technological divide that currently runs deep between premier schools and budget private schools,” he said.

教育技术先驱Schoolnet India Limited的总经理兼首席执行官RMC Reddy认为，这些收购可能会给印度的教育带来更多的稳定性。他说:“由于这些金融机构和连锁学校财力更雄厚，这也将有助于缩小目前一流学校和普通私立学校之间的差距。”

印度时报读者的评论：译者：Jessica.Wu

R Venkatesh Govind

This proves Modi Durbar is "improving" education. Whatever Modi Durbar touches, is burnt to ash.

这证明莫迪正在“改善”教育。莫迪碰哪一行，哪一行就要完蛋。

Sanjoy Pandey

The effect of the Corona pandemic across the world is going to hit all sectors, including education.

疫情将影响到所有行业，包括教育。

K Mohan

Even the teaching through television fallen flat as the interest in students lost without teachers

由于没有老师当面授课，线上教学没有效果，学生没兴趣

Yashodhan Muzumdar

Who requires education. An illiterate with fake degrees can become P.M

一个拿假学历的文盲都能成为印度总理，谁还想上学？

Mr K

..if a school wasn't a business, they would still be open. Though can't blame them, lights and water ain't free.

如果这些学校不是营利机构，还会继续运营。不过也不能怪他们，毕竟水电不是免费的。

Sulochana Kalyanpur

Very Good,they are daylight robbers,with ridiculous fees,money makers ,not educators at all!

这些学校是明目张胆的强盗，收费荒谬，只知道赚钱，根本不是教育者!

Sohail Rajwani

Ppl laughed at manmohan singh yet he did his duty,, chaiwala messed up yet they feel nationalist lol

人们嘲笑曼莫汉·辛格，但他履行了自己的职责，莫迪搞砸了疫情，但人民觉得他是民族主义者，哈哈

Sachin

lol, so you mean to say chaiwala spread covid19?

你是说疫情是莫迪传播的?

Asok Datta

Schools were restricted in taking fees by the government making them bankrupt; online education is a farce as most students have no smartphone, tab, laptop or desktop and no internet; covid 19 has already destroyed one year school calender, many schools for lack of fund to give teachers salary

政府设置收费上限，导致学校破产。线上教育是一场闹剧，因为大多数学生没有智能手机、平板电脑、笔记本电脑或台式电脑，也没有互联网。由于疫情，无法复课，许多学校没钱给教师发工资

Rampur Ka Laxman

Feku hai toh mumkin hain !!!! Close and sell school properties and make all kids chaiwallas and pakoda sellers

把学校关了，出售学校财产，让所有的孩子都去卖油炸小吃

Potassium Cyanide

Only the profits of the schools reduced. They didn't go into any loss...... But thanks to the boss for bringing the nation to such pathetic state.

学校只是利润减少了，并没有任何损失。莫迪把国家带到如此可悲的境地。

Manish Gupta

No need to panic. Modiji clearly mentioned "be atamneerbahar". Open your own school and start reading yourself. You are the student, you are teacher and you are Principle.

没必要恐慌。莫迪清楚地提到了“自力更生”。自己开办学校，自学成才你是学生，你是老师，你也是校长。

VasaiKars M

Fekuchad jumalawale distroyed indian economy . Inprecidented 29 percent unemployment

莫迪毁了印度经济。失业率高达29%

Angraj Mishra

Very misleading headline. The schools mentioned here are not only private, but are the ones that charge tution fees in lakhs.

标题非常具有误导性。这里提到的学校是私立的，是收取学费的学校。

Garg Sanjay

Primary schooling has taken a bad hit in the Covid pandemic. Hope the education does not fall below present levels.

小学教育在疫情期间受到严重打击。希望教学水平不要降到低于目前水平。

Deepak Soni

This is not Virus fallout . This was bound to happen . And this has happened with many industries also . It is fallout of arrogant and ignorant and corrupt administration by Modi Government in last six years . Wait for still worsening news .

这和疫情无关，这是注定要发生的，在很多行业也发生过这种情况。这是过去六年莫迪政府傲慢、无知和腐败的后果。更坏的消息还在后面。

VasaiKars M

These 1000 schools are on sale but it is all nehru’s fault .

1000所学校准备出售，但这都是尼赫鲁的错。

niravENDRAModi

pvt schools, hospitals are day light robbers

私立学校和医院都是光天化日明抢的强盗