Edupreneur Bros: Rajat Singhal and Kunal Singhal

Rajat Singhal, CEO and Kunal Singhal, CTO, are co-founders of the Cyboard School, an online K-8 primary launched on February 17. They are also co-founders of the City Public School (estb.2017), a K-8 school in Bhiwadi (Alwar district), Rajasthan and rising stars of the local business community. Determined to utilise new technologies to provide uninterrupted education to children whose education has been severely disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the duo has set a target of 5,000 enrolments by June 2021.

Newspeg. Expecting CBSE accreditation in 2022, Cyboard School follows a hybrid model, mixing online classes with safe classrooms to overcome the drawbacks of full-time online education. “Our management team comprises mentors, technopreneurs, curriculum and content development experts and administrators. Together we have designed a curriculum that leverages AI (artificial intelligence). We believe that adaptive blended pedagogies will eliminate the need for supplementary tuitions altogether. Students will be given time slots to raise and clear doubts during and after classes,” says Rajat.

History. Professionally qualified, practicing chartered accountants, the Rajasthan-based brothers’ native entrepreneurial spirit has prompted them to promote several business ventures. Among them: EAZY ERP Technologies. Moreover, the brothers are active members of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and promoter directors of the bricks-n-mortar City Public School. Within three years of establishment, this currently K-8 budget private school (annual tuition fees: Rs.21,60030,000 per annum) has enrolled its full complement.

Direct talk. Despite being committed champions of online education, the Bros Singhal believe that developing children’s communication and interpersonal skills are of paramount importance. “We will facilitate city and inter-city interactions of children through camps spread over 30 days per year. Our blended learning model provides for personality development and other co-curricular activities,” says Kunal.

Future plans. According to the brothers, the annual revenue of India’s online K-12 education segment is projected to rise from the current $1.16 billion (Rs.8,700 crore) to $4.3 billion by 2025. “If we can attain a 1 percent share of the country’s K-12 market by 2025 — quite possible given our low tuition fees — Cyboard School will become an online education heavyweight within the next few years,” predicts Rajat.