Corporate News
By MUGAMBI MUTEGI
In Summary
- Kumon Education SA Limited currently teaches Mathematics and English through the “Kumon curriculum” in 16 Kenyan centres located in Mombasa, Kisumu and Nairobi; all of whom it wants restricted to teach the course in their premises only.
- The firm is as a result seeking a three-year exemption from Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) laws that forbid companies from selective hand-picking of their business associates in a manner that may be deemed to curtail competition.
- Kumon, which was developed in Japan in 1978, is a special style of coaching which is taught in more than 50 countries globally.
A South African company is seeking protection of the
competition watchdog for its local franchises that teach special
Japanese-rooted remedial courses.
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Kumon Education SA Limited currently teaches Mathematics and
English through the “Kumon curriculum” in 16 Kenyan centres located in
Mombasa, Kisumu and Nairobi; all of whom it wants restricted to teach
the course in their premises only.
The firm is as a result seeking a three-year
exemption from Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) laws that forbid
companies from selective hand-picking of their business associates in a
manner that may be deemed to curtail competition.
“The agreement will be non-exclusive but the
franchisees will be limited to providing and utilising the method at the
centre only and not any other premises,” reads part of a gazette notice
seeking the exemption.
“Similar rights for operation of other franchised
centres shall not be granted within one kilometre radius from the
centre,” it adds. Kumon, which was developed in Japan in 1978, is a
special style of coaching which is taught in more than 50 countries
globally.
Its users say it places emphasis on nurturing a
child’s learning ability and distinguishes itself from normal tuition
classes which it brands as being “exam-oriented”.
“Businesses which want to maintain exclusive deals
with local firms have to apply to the authority for an exemption from
Section 28 of the Competition Act which forbids such partnerships,” said
Wang’ombe Kariuki, the CAK director-general.
“This is normally the case with international
franchise holders who want to maintain the standards of their businesses
in cases where, for instance, they pick sole distributors of their
products or even services.”
Children aged from 3 to 18 are individually taken
through daily classes by specially trained institutors for a couple
months and then graded based on the speed with which they answer
questions. The students are ranked according to how progressively they
show an understanding of the subject.
Kumon, is being offered at Talent Academy in
Lang’ata, Premier Kumon in Parklands, Coast Academy in Mombasa, Jaffery
Sports Club in Lavington among several others.
Upon termination of the agreement, the exclusivity
request by Kumon Education SA – itself a franchisee of Kumon Education
and Research Association of Japan – also restricts its partners or
instructors from acquiring “an interest in any other similar business
activity” without its written consent.
Kumon Kenya’s website lists increased ability to
solve problems, attention to detail, increased concentration and
positive attitude as some of the benefits of the course
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