Background of The Smart Reader Kids Jitra Branch

The Smart Reader Kids' branch of my choice is located in Bandar Darulaman Jitra, Kedah. It is owned by Abdullah bin Yahya, a Kedahan. He was a senior engineer in primary steel manufacturing industry for 20 years and he decided to venture in education field because of the facts that this industry is actually profitable and he also wanted the children in Kubang Pasu district to have the opportunity to gain the best English and Bahasa Malaysia languages education.

Mr Abdullah and his family

This branch started its operation in 2006. I did not get to interview Mr Abdullah as he was outstation so I just had my interview session with the Principal, Mrs Bavani, 42, who has been the Principal since the opening of the branch.


According to Mrs Bavani, the school started with only 2 teachers and a clerk, with only 12 students. They had the students to be placed in 2 comfortable classes. Now, the branch is having a total of 52 students for the pre-school session and also 64 students for the English tutorial classes on weekend.
She also said that the demand is growing bigger but the rooms are limited.

Mrs Bavani, the Principal

There are many parents who wish to send their children there despite the fees which are slightly higher than any other pre-schools and tuition centres. This is due to the amazing results shown by the students and the ex-students of The Jitra Smart Reader Kids happened to perform very well in their primary schools as well.


Currently, the fee is RM270.00 per month per student and the class starts at 9.00 am until 12.00 noon. The students have the option to have their Islamic religious classes after the normal school hour with additional fee. She also added that the branch is now offering The Smart Reader Islamic - Smart Tadris and the school received a very overwhelming responses from parents. When asked about any other obstacles than having limited spaces, she also said that they sometimes face the challenge of not having enough teachers as they come and go for other better opportunities.

Customer Survey

I had the opportunity to interview a parent and some students regarding the outlet.

Puan Fazlina 36, has both her children into The Smart Reader Kids from the very beginning until now. Both her children had their early education here and until now, they still have their tutorial classes at The Smart Reader Kids even thougj they are now in their primary school, standard five and standard three.

She is quoted to say that both her children did well by being able to read at the age of 4 year old and the good reputation is continued in their primary school. She is very pleased with the teachers especially. The teachers have put their best efforts in making sure that her children had the best education. The services are also very fast where she could get all the uniforms and books ready as early as the first 2 weeks of the semester.

Mishka and Muhammad Haziq are both the children of Puan Fazlina said that they are very happy to be here as the teachers are just like their own mothers and sisters as they have been with the centre for about 5 years now. They are quoted to say that, they are happy to be the top students in their respective classes in their primary school up until now and they especially do well in their English language subject.

Franchisee Experience

There are many challenges faced by the owner of this outlet Mr Abdullah and all his staff.

Starting with gaining the trust of the parents in joining their family to finding the teachers for the outlet.

The fee was standardized and it was considered as expensive in such a remote area as Jitra. The first thing that they did was approaching the professionals parents. Starting with them, and a few other parents backgrounds, the teachers had managed to portray impressive end product; students who can read and count at the age of 3 years old.

The first half year was the year to make it stable. After that, the centre has started to make profit at 20% which is quite impressive. After a year, the centre has managed to cover all the RM200,000.00 of the start-up cost and now the centre is upgrading for a better standard of services.

Due to that, Mr Abdullah invested in his 2nd outlet in Alor Setar.

Franchise Operations

The Smart Reder Kids offer amazing support and progresses. Smart Reader® Worldwide added another feather to its cap by accepting a prestigious award at the Global Business Corporation Business Management Awards, recently held in Panama.

There were 50 awardees from different parts of the world, namely USA, Latin America, Asia and the Caribbean where some of the countries include Mexico, Bolivia, USA, Columbia, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Peru, India and Bangladesh.

It was indeed an honour for Smart Reader® Worldwide to be the only company from Malaysia and receiving the award in South America for the second time.

Industries awarded encompass financial, banking, travel, fashion, hotels, transportation, universities, food, telecommunication, transportation and others.

Smart Reader® Worldwide is the only company awarded in the franchise and early childhood education categories, according to a press release.

In a press statement, Smart Reader® Worldwide Group Executive Director Dato Dr KH Wang noted that they have indeed made their reputation known in Latin America as the hub of early childhood development in Malaysia.

“With more than 300 Smart Reader Kids® and Smart Reader Kids++® centres locally and another 150 centres globally, many have expressed their interest to visit us, to derive lessons on how we effectively promote and develop our system.

“Furthermore, being here has enabled us to have a good sharing experience and provided an ideal platform for us to promote Smart Reader Kids® as a global product in the international arena, in line with our theme for this year that is we nurture world leaders and we aspire to be global educators.

“With the many positive steps taken this year, we are certain we are moving towards this direction,” she added.

Over the years, Smart Reader® Worldwide has achieved remarkable growth, locally and globally, garnering prestigious accolades and recognitions awarded by numerous organisations.

Source: The Borneo Post

Franchisor Management

Smart Reader® franchise allows you to be a part of Malaysia’s leading early childhood education franchise. Franchised programmes, operating under the banner of Smart Reader® Worldwide include Smart Reader Kids® English medium, Smart Reader Kids® Mandarin medium, Smart Reader Kids Islamic™ and Smart Reader Kids++®.Since 1988, theSmart Reader® brand and franchise business have grown by leaps and bounds, growing beyond expectations. The fraternity contributes more than RM70 million to the national economy, with a steady growth rate of 20% per annum since inception of the business.

1. Endorsed as the Largest Chain of Child Enrichment Centres in Malaysia
2. First education entity to be awarded the ISO 9001:2000 certification
3. National Mark for Malaysian brand
4. Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand Award in 2011, 2012 and 2013

Smart Reader® Worldwide offers a comprehensive franchise support programme that includes:

• Operational SupportDevelopment and Operations team will guide you in students’ enrolment, administration and operation of the centre. A detailed manual will be provided to assist you in the daily operations of the Smart Reader Kids^® franchise.

• Comprehensive Training and DevelopmentAll Smart Reader Kids^® educators will receive comprehensive training conducted by our experienced lecturers and trainers of SRI^® College and Smart Reader^® Worldwide.

Quality Teaching Materials, Tools and EquipmentInnovative and creative learning programmes have been carefully designed by a special team of experienced educationists. Materials are original and have gained International recognition.

Assistance in Advertisement and MarketingAs a franchisor, Smart Reader^® Worldwide supports franchisees in the business by assisting in a wide range of marketing and promotional activities such as newspaper/magazine advertisements, SMS broadcasts, TV commercials, exhibitions, kids’ events, online promotions and many other interesting public relations activities.

Tested and Proven Effective Methodology®The Smart Reader Creative Teaching Methodology^® is a wonderful breakthrough in education for the 21^st century. The programme is based on a teaching approach that has captivated hundreds of thousands of children.

Global RecognitionThe Smart Reader Kids^® and Smart Reader Kids++^® programmes have gained global recognition; Smart Reader^® Worldwide having been bestowed international awards in Rome, Paris, Geneva, New York, London and Frankfurt.

Our team are here guiding you every step of the way to ensure your success as you build your Smart Reader® business to greater heights.

Source: The Smart Reader Kids Malaysia Website

History in Malaysia

Founded in 1988 as Smart Education Centre by Dato’ Sri Dr Richard Ong and Datin Sri Dato’ Dr KH Wang, the organisation changed its name to Smart Reader^® Worldwide SdnBhd in 1998. This move was made to reflect the expansion of its English Programme into the international arena.


Backed by the success of the Smart Reader^® English Programme and the rich experience of the group of educationists, Smart Reader^® Worldwide launched the Smart Reader Kids^® concept in 1999.


Tagged as Every Child’s Dream School, this unique, imaginative and vibrant 21^st century model child development centre has emerged very aggressively and accredited by the Malaysia Book of Records as The Largest Chain of Child Enrichment Centres in Malaysia.


With the formation of three other franchised programmes, namely Smart Reader Kids++^®, Smart Reader Kids® Mandarin medium and Smart Reader Kids Islamic™, the organisation has evolved to become the largest educational franchise group with the establishment of more than 300 franchise centres in Malaysia. Smart Reader^® Worldwide has also expanded its wings internationally by having 150 franchise centres in China and the Middle East.
For an organisation that has been around for a good number of years, success is influenced by ONE key factor, QUALITY. Constant research and development and continuous upgrading of the programmes has enabled this quality product to remain at the helm, steering preschool education into a glorious and exclusive era.

Smart Reader Kids Centres have been recognised and endorsed by the Malaysia Book of Records as “The Largest Chain of Child Enrichment Centres in Malaysia”.

Source: The Smart Reader Kids Malaysia Website

About the Blogger

Welcome to my humble blog.

This blog is purposedly created for the subject Entrepeneurship.




My name is Khairul Aminizam bin Amin and currently studying in UNITAR . I am taking Bachelor of Management and I am now in my fifth semester.

This blog will portray the overview of a franchise business in Malaysia and I chose The Smart Reader Kids as my preferred franchise. I have made observations for approximately a week. By referring to the Franchise Evaluation Checklist (Scarborough(2011) pp.205-206) my research will cover on these aspects:

• Background of Franchise
• History in Malaysia
• Franchisor Management
• Franchise Operations
• Franchisee Experience
• Customer Survey

I hope that at the end of this blog, my readers will get some crucial information on this franchise business The Smart Reader Kids.



Regards,
Khairul Aminizam