IMPECCABLE : Prof CA JK Shah
JK Shah’s journey from 7 to 70,000 students annually!
Do you know what is common between business tycoon Kumar Mangalam Birla and Commerce Minister of India Piyush Goyal? They are not just Chartered Accountants by qualification but also illustrious alumni of the country’s first and arguably the most popular and the largest education company for coaching students in Commerce and Professional Studies – JK Shah Classes (JKSC).
JKSC started in 1983, a year of utmost prominence for India, thanks to ‘Kapil Dev and his men’ who defied all odds and went on to clinch the Cricket World Cup by beating the mighty West Indians on English soil – a feat beyond imagination! Adding some more glory to that iconic era of the early 1980s (which also saw the birth of MS Dhoni), JK Shah Classes, the pioneers in the field of CA coaching, similarly defied all odds from being a humble one-man-show with seven students to a mammoth ‘Rankers Factory’ for CA and other Professional Courses in Commerce coaching with 70,000+ students annually all across the country. The iconic rise of JKSC in CA coaching over the past four decades is identical to India’s rise as a powerhouse in the modern-day cricketing world. From the ‘Kapil Dev era’ to the ‘MS Dhoni era’ to the (ongoing) ‘Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma era’ – the JKSC dominance in CA coaching continues to defy all odds. It is growing from strength to strength in selflessly serving the Commerce students.
The only ‘Commerce Specialist’ with such a massive presence and footprints across the country, JKSC is an epitome of perfection and precision in the field of coaching Commerce aspirants for professional courses like CA, CS, CMA, CFA, etc. While most (in fact all) national-level education companies are focused on Science aspirants, JKSC is the only reputed national-level education company focusing explicitly on Commerce aspirants with complete dedication and consistent results for the past 39 years.
Born to a humble set of parents in a small village on the outskirts of Palitana in the interiors of Gujarat, Jitendra Kantilal Shah’s education as a child was first sponsored by a community charity fund and later financed by himself. He recalls, “My parents were illiterate, so they wanted me to study. They believed that only education could change our family’s future. Though their intentions were right, they did not have the finances to educate me. However, to my fortune, our community’s charity trust came to my rescue and sponsored my early education. Later, when I could stand on my feet, I funded my education, even if that meant selling ladies’ purses in spare time during my college days to overcome my hitherto state of extreme poverty.”
A young Jitendra Kantilal Shah (JK Shah) completed his schooling and junior college in a vernacular medium in Gujarat. When he was thinking of what to do next, one of the family’s well-wishers suggested he pursue Chartered Accountancy. This was when his tryst with his destiny of becoming a CA was aligned. To everyone’s surprise, he not only became a CA but also secured the All India 29th rank in the CA Inter examination. He avers, “Any average but hardworking student can become a CA. If you have the right determination and the ability to overcome any hardships that come your way, then nobody can stop you from achieving your dreams.” From being an unknown Jitendra in the by lanes of Gujarat to being a torch-bearer of CA aspirants across India, JK Shah is a real-life example of how consistent determination can surpass all odds.
Further, JK Shah reminisces, “I was fortunate to have studied Accountancy as a subject from the eighth standard during my school days in Gujarat. I think that was a boon in disguise. I learnt the subject early and started teaching my friends in the hostel in later years while I shifted base to Mumbai (Bombay – back then). That helped me when appearing for my CA exam and eventually starting my classes. It helped me master the fundamentals of Costing, Accountancy and allied subjects.”
JKSC opened its first branch at Grant Road in erstwhile Bombay. JK Shah remembers, “I took a loan to start my class. Though I did not have a proper roof over my head to stay in the city of dreams, I aimed first to start a class and establish it. I slept, ate, and virtually lived (during the initial years) in the same classroom where I used to teach my students. From distributing pamphlets for advertising JKSC to cleaning the floor of my classroom, checking the in-house test papers of my students to teaching the nuances of my specialised subject – I was multi-tasking and managing all aspects to save on costs and manage my scarce resources during formative years of JKSC. I started teaching Costing, a subject not taught by anyone during that time. I capitalised on the first-mover advantage and started attracting many students in the initial few batches. From 7 to 45 to 98 to 240, I was fortunate to have a stable take-off! Thanks to all my students who reposed their faith in me.”
He adds, “Back then and even today, CA is considered one of the most popular courses since it offers the highest return on investment without burning a hole in the pockets of parents/guardians. With barely around Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 2.50 lakhs of investment, one can complete the CA course; if the article ship stipend amount is considered, a student would be left with a net surplus. I sincerely thank the ICAI for designing such a brilliant Professional Course at such an affordable price point, extremely apt for a country like India.
Slowly and steadily, from being a one-man show, JK Shah started hiring professional teachers. These teachers were mainly his students from JKSC. He takes pride in sharing, “My first faculty (CA Ram Prabhu) continues to be my esteemed colleague even today. In the last four decades, hardly 29 people have left me. We enjoy a healthy retention rate.” The majestic people-management skills of JK Shah are evident from the fact that even his first two office sub-staffs are still with him, even after 39 years! Teachers of JKSC are blessed to have a great work culture and precise fulfillment of financial commitments. Hourly payments’ structure to teachers helps them earn additionally for every extra hour of work done by them.
Talent retention has been a hallmark in the success story of JKSC over the past four decades. “18 out of the 29 had left JKSC during the pandemic for personal growth aspirations. Eight of those 18 have already returned to JKSC in recent months. Seven out of 18 (who departed amid the pandemic) left as a collective group with perhaps ulterior motives to cause specific damage to JKSC. Three of those seven senior-most and most renowned faculty left that group and from those three, two returned to JKSC. Regarding balance four, I would only wish them luck and extend my good wishes, being their ex-teacher. The matter is already ‘sub judice’; hence, I would not like to comment on it. Their social media posts are their interpretation which I would not want to retaliate with as I have full faith in our Indian Judicial ecosystem and would want the law to take its course as a law-abiding senior citizen of our beloved country”, stresses JK Shah. In an age of social media, to not retaliate (digitally) to petty methods of some, indeed speaks volumes about JK Shah and his large team of like-minded professionals. JKSC follows the principles of ‘Satyamev Jayate’ in the true sense!
Leading an extremely successful Commerce coaching class and continuously being an undisputed market leader for nearly four decades is no mean feat. JK Shah emphasises, “We follow military-like planning, including a fixed commencement and a set completion date. Abiding by these, the teaching and non-teaching staff burn the midnight oil to achieve the set goals and deliver to the best of their abilities. We ensure that our teachers are kept up-to-date with the latest developments in the field of coaching by regularly organizing training programmes and workshops. Also, for our students, we offer the best quality study material and simulative test series that help our students to surpass all odds. My fellow competitors have always felt that JKSC has been lucky in its growth journey. I am happy that such a perception is carried for us; the JKSC team can thus continue to serve the Commerce aspirants with meticulous planning and precise implementation of its successful ethos and philosophy.”
“God has again been kind to me. Many of my students, who were motivated during their student days at JKSC, joined me back as Professors / Faculty / Staff at JKSC. Most have remained with me today and are helping me build JKSC from strength to strength. Few have gone ahead and started their venture. However, we regularly keep in touch with a healthy competitive spirit. I would say that all of us as Coaching Classes are collective torch-bearers for providing quality coaching to aspirants of Professional Education in the field of Commerce. I sincerely thank all the coaching class-owners and the teaching fraternity at large for making the life of students easier over all these years”, elucidates JK Shah. He is incredibly proud of his in-house team of intrapreneurs like CA Chetan Patil, along with a fully dedicated team of young and dynamic professors who have always kept the interests of JKSC above personal gains and continued to serve the student community selflessly.
Over the years, the coaching industry has seen a paradigm shift. From being a ‘one-classroom, one-subject, and one-teacher’ affair to the EdTech era, the industry has thrown legions of challenges and opportunities in front of the class owners, teachers, and students. Like any other coaching class, JKSC bore the brunt during the COVID-19 imposed lockdown when the new crop of EdTech was suddenly dominating the coaching market with their online-only pedagogy. However, as things normalised, teachers and students both preferred to return to the established form of coaching, which is in-person and face-to-face. The hybrid coaching mode is thus the new normal, spearheaded by JKSC for Commerce aspirants in this post pandemic era.
Currently, JK Shah’s son and daughter (both being qualified CAs) are managing JKSC with complete élan. As India celebrates ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav,’ JKSC has spread its wings with 75 branches across 39 cities in India. The proud father says, “My son CA Vishal looks after the online section, and my daughter CA Pooja takes care of the overall management of the offline segment at JKSC, making it an apt (and largest) hybrid ecosystem for Commerce and Professional Courses across India.” Despite being born with a golden spoon, his son and daughter have worked from dawn to dusk day-in-and-day-out to keep the JKSC flag flying high. His wife, Purnima, is also a qualified CA and has been his pillar of strength throughout the journey over the past four decades. By handling the Finance and Accounts department of JKSC, she has set one of the most robust systems and processes, allowing JK Shah to focus entirely on various strategic nuances of the business over the years.
“I am proud of my children who support me in strengthening JKSC. I am indeed very thankful to my family for their innumerable contributions in building various facets of JKSC over all these years”, exclaims JK Shah with a sense of beaming satisfaction as JKSC Online today caters to students from 1100+ remote locations from all across India.
The Indian education ecosystem is evolving drastically in this post-pandemic era, especially with the gradual implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. NEP 2020 shall bring a paradigm shift for Education companies like JKSC. JK Shah enthusiastically adds, “National Curriculum Framework (NCF) will bring immense parity in the curriculum for Class XI and XII. Thus, from a state-centric approach, India shall be one unified domain/territory for Class XI and XII coaching, including for us – at JKSC. With the ‘5 + 3 + 3 + 4’ system of School Education along with creative subject combinations – our horizon for addressing Commerce aspirants shall further widen from IX to XII rather than just XI and XII, as students would very soon be able to select subjects like Accountancy from Class IX itself. JKSC is already present at 75+ locations across our nation. With Hybrid pedagogy being the new normal in these post-pandemic times, JKSC (supported by JK Shah Online) is poised to maintain its market leadership in the field of Commerce coaching along with Professional courses like CA/CS/ CMA. The recent introduction of CUET shall further propel our growth as practically all students post Class XII will have to take up CUET sooner or later. I can assure my colleagues of the Commerce Coaching Industry that we are poised for fascinating times ahead due to the introduction of NEP 2020.”
Every year more than 70,000 students study at JKSC. Having started just as a class for Cost Accounting to CA Final students, JKSC has expanded by leaps and bounds, catering to all subjects of CA, CS, CMA, CFA, etc., along with junior-college (XI-XII) education coaching under its ambit – making it the largest dedicated Commerce coaching classes of India. Aligning to the ever-evolving needs of NEP 2020 is the primary focus at JKSC in the near future. JKSC plans to expand its footprint across the length and breadth of India. Fortifying its market leadership in Commerce and Professional Courses by continuing to serve the student community with utmost precision and care. JKSC has set its sight on coaching and training 2,00,000 students per annum in the next five years and has widened its market leadership in Commerce and Professional Courses by offering state-of-the-art hybrid pedagogy as required in this forthcoming post-pandemic NEP 2020 era.
Before signing off, JK Shah reiterates Ratan Tata’s words, “I want MBAs to run my business, but CAs to teach them how to run the business.” Doesn’t this speak volumes of the paramount importance of a CA in the modern-day economy? You bet it does!
Read E Magazine-JK Shah- KYT Sept 22
