Sunshine partners UK teachers' education trust

Sunshine, a preschool and daycare chain floated by city-based SatNav Group, has entered into a strategic partnership with the Centre for British Teachers Education Trust (CfBT) of the UK through its Indian arm, CfBT Education Services.

The new venture, floated under the banner of SatNav Preschools Private Limited, plans to add 25 self-managed preschool centres to the existing three by December 2007, and scale it up to 100 by 2009.

Under the partnership, CfBT, which works with preschools across 22 countries, will bring its international management capability and best practices and help Sunshine to be established as an international preschool of repute.

This will include teachers training, monitoring progress, curriculum design and implementation and staff recruitment.

"The promoters of our group will invest Rs 5 crore in SatNav Preschools in the next one year, subsequently ramping it up to Rs 25 crore in the next three years. While the majority stake will continue to be held by SatNav Group, sweat equity would be worked out after five years," Amit Kishore Prasad, founder, managing director and CEO of SatNav, told the media here on Wednesday.