Viral Parekh is the Mumbai-based program director (quality control) and general manager of India operations of the US-based American Institute of Enrichment LLC (AIE, estb.1997), which over the past 15 years has been providing a range of advisory services to over 900 schools in the southern and eastern states of USA.

Having established a business office in India (Mumbai) in 2010, AIE offers diverse educational services ranging from consultancy, teacher training workshops, and parent seminars, to “well-researched and concept-enriched” programmes in mathematics, sciences, public speaking, English and writing to K-12 schools.

Newspeg. Last month, AIE celebrated the second anniversary of its India operations. Thus far the company has signed up six private schools in Mumbai for its subject enrichment programmes which range from one-24 months duration.

Unique selling proposition. According to Parekh, these programmes — developed by a team of 30 highly qualified researchers — are powerful supplements to school curriculums. “In our courses, students learn the what and why of concepts which are explained through 3-D animated videos, lectures and projects to make curriculum subjects interesting and absorbing. Moreover, with every AIE teacher-member an accomplished entrepreneur/professional with a minimum of four years education at an American university, they are well-positioned to provide experience-rich apprenticeship education to AIE’s subscriber students,” says Parekh, a mechanical engineering graduate of the highly respected Georgia Institute of Technology, USA.

Genesis. The idea of promoting AIE originated within a group of Georgia Tech alumni, who recalled their undergraduate experience distinguished by “concept-rich learning environments”. Converted to the cause of making concept-rich education available to school students asap, in 1997 Viral’s elder brother Jay and Christopher Capuano — both Georgia Tech Alumni — invested their personal savings of $50,000 (Rs.25 lakh) and raised $220,000 (Rs.1.1 crore) with support from the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, to promote AIE. “In 2004, after I graduated from Georgia Tech and decided to settle in Mumbai, we launched the India operations of the company,” says Parekh,  also a real estate development consultant.
Programme fees. Rs.9,000 per student per quarter (90 days).

Direct talk. “Indian schools need to move away from dull rote-learning to developing and sharpening the cognitive skills of their students. Through AIE’s well-researched programmes, we bring academic concepts to life and develop students’ critical thinking skills, creativity and understanding of curriculum subjects. In the long run, incremental and widespread adoption of conceptual learning will boost national productivity and transform India into a breeding ground of innovators and leaders,” enthuses Parekh.

Future plans. On the drawing board of AIE India are plans to promote owned or partnership after-school study centres in Bangalore and New Delhi. “We want to make teacher-training a focus area and also introduce professional courses for young adults. Meanwhile, over the next two years, our target is to sign up 40 schools in Mumbai,” says Parekh.

Wind in your sails!

Paromita Sengupta (Bangalore)