How to Revive a Struggling Abacus Centre: A Practical Recovery Plan" — drop the "20000 closed

Last updated: 26 September 2026

Revival of Abacus Franchise During Lockdown

The ensuing write-up is about a conversation I had almost a year back. My entire team was engrossed in finding solutions for the revival of the Abacus Franchise during lockdown that had closed down owing to the Covid. The students stopped attending their Abacus classes. The lockdown severely hit our business as we hugely depended on our Abacus franchise business spread across 17 countries.

My conversation was with three people, one being an Abacus Trainer cum owner of the Abacus Class and the other being a father and child duo. The child was a student of Abacus.

As an Abacus promoter, I wanted to know, 'What do they have to say about the effect of the Covid pandemic on Abacus Learning and Abacus Teaching?'

Abacus Classes - Effect of the lockdown

While the Abacus Academy owner expressed that he was going through a horrible phase as he had to close down his Abacus center as the students stopped coming due to the lockdown. He also said he did try teaching Abacus online through the available video conferencing apps, but the results could have been more satisfactory and promising. It could have been more convenient for Abacus Training online for students.

I told him I couldn't agree more that a large number of Abacus Institutes worldwide had shut down due to the lockdown, leaving many Abacus Trainers out of work.

Abacus Learning - Effect of the lockdown

When I looked at the father and son duo, they had a lot to say. At the same time, the father said that his son had to discontinue his Abacus Classes as the centers were closed. He felt this deprived his child of learning the skill of Abacus mental math.

Meanwhile, the son waited impatiently for his turn to get into the conversation. He had a lot to say, which seemed evident as he was the end-user, and naturally the most affected.

He said when the lockdown started; his Abacus class got closed. He was sad that he and many other students of that Abacus class were now unable to learn Abacus Math.

I told him it was not only him; a large number of students across the country were facing the same situation. They all had to discontinue their Abacus Training as all the centers providing Abacus for kids closed down during the pandemic.

Online Abacus Classes Could Be More Effective

When I probed further with my question, why did the teacher not go online, and why did the student not join Online Abacus classes?

Well, with this, I hit Pandora's box. Both the teacher and the student started to put their opinion on this. They had so much to say. Let me sum it up one by one.

I will get you the student's view first.

-He said it was tough to learn Abacus online on mobile. He said he could sometimes not see the finger movements demonstrated by his teacher and also said his teacher also faced the same problem. Because of this, he made mistakes in moving the Abacus beads correctly on the Abacus tool. He further added that the wrong answers always frustrated him.

- He was finding it challenging to do Abacus Mental Math practice. He was also unable to improve his speed of calculations because of a lack of mental practice.

- The student also believed that the teacher could not regularly check his workbook for Homework and Class Work.

- He further said he was not enjoying learning Abacus as he did not know how his other friends performed.

The child summed it all up in one final sentence: the Abacus Online class was not exciting, and he did not want to continue.

Now it was the turn of the Abacus Trainer. He said he agreed with all that the student said. For Abacus to be taught online, we must create a dedicated platform for teaching and learning.

I went a step further and asked him to be more specific about all the facilities he would like to have in the Online Abacus Teaching Platform so that he could teach smoothly and effectively.

The teacher had clear ideas, and he insisted I would better take note of the points he was going to raise. To which I agreed and started to jot down his points.

Requirements In An Online Abacus Teaching Platform

a. A well-developed integrated system from which several students could participate in the Abacus Class. He could train all the students for the correct finger movements and also be able to monitor and ensure that all students followed the proper method. The number of students in the class should be a good thing in the teaching process. It should be independent of external video conferencing apps.

b. An option that would allow problems of different students to be attended to at the same time by him and still not disturb the normal class functioning.

c. A system with a facility from where he could give Classwork and Homework and also that he should be able to check and evaluate the work thus done by the students, preferably in real-time.

d. Most importantly, specially developed content could be easy to show, explain, and keep the students glued to the screen. He said that the lessons created in the form of self-explanatory videos and further use of visual support to explain would be easy. He considered this the only way to bring the students back to the Abacus classes and be worth the money the parents would invest.

e. He also said that since it would be all online better if we were done away with the workbooks, the child should solve the questions and input the answers on the system itself. This facility, he said, would ease the problem of evaluating the work done by the students.

f. One more requirement, according to him, was to create a competitive atmosphere in the class and give students awards. He concluded even if it is virtual, it would be good enough.

g. After a second thought, he added that if the experts could develop a digital Abacus or a Virtual Abacus that could be of great help, especially if the child gets stuck in solving any sum while doing the homework.

h. The system should allow the teacher to conduct the exams level-wise and also will enable the teacher to issue Certificates to the students after that.

i. He said he would also want the system to have a complete online Abacus teachers' training system so that he can become an expert in conducting the Online Abacus Classes.

j. He also wanted the system to facilitate online registration and collection of fees of the students.

When he had said all and I had done my listing, it was apparent why the several companies that claimed to be offering Online Abacus Classes had failed to help the closed-down Abacus Academies to get back their students.

It required the experts to develop a vast integrated Abacus Teaching and Abacus Learning system in tandem with the Abacus Experts. They must create an exclusive online-friendly curriculum to deliver the expected convenience and results. The requirement required a lot of time, expertise, and financial investment.

Which certainly was not a cup of tea for small-time companies.

Signs Your Abacus Centre Needs a Recovery Plan

If your centre hasn't fully bounced back since that shutdown period, you're not alone — many trainers we speak to are in the same spot. Before deciding anything, it helps to separate "the demand for abacus training is gone" (it isn't) from "my current setup can't reach today's parents" (fixable). For a full walkthrough of rebuilding a centre from the ground up, see our 90-day plan for taking an abacus centre from first enquiry to first batch.

The Challenges Were Too Many. But, of Course, What Was The Solution?

As promoters of Abacus Education since 2005 and having our presence in 17 countries worldwide, we Mastermind Abacus took up the challenge. It developed a Hi-tech Abacus Teaching and Learning Platform that promises to meet all the needs expressed by my friend's Abacus teacher and the Abacus student.

Yes, we successfully created one of the best live online Abacus teaching platforms available today.

This Online Abacus Learning Platform of Mastermind Abacus meets all the expectations of the Abacus Institutes and the Trainers. It is also extremely easy for the students to access and operate. The program is enjoyable and exceptionally engaging for the students. The Abacus lessons are in the form of interesting and innovative video games based on Math calculations. The system allows the Abacus Trainer to conduct exams, evaluate in real-time, issue Certificates, and collect fees for management marketing. It has an answer to every aspect related to Teaching Abacus or managing the Abacus institute most effectively.

Low investment in Abacus franchise business in India

Anyone could start their own Abacus Training Center / Institute with a low-investment franchise model, with only a Laptop / PC and a broadband internet connection. Setup and operating costs depend on the model; results depend on enrolments, expenses and execution.

Mastermind's Live online Abacus Learning Platform is the answer to the present catastrophic situation being faced by my friend Abacus's teacher and many more. It will undoubtedly help the several closed-down Abacus Centers, and the out-of-job Abacus Trainers not only get back their previously registered students but also encourage many more students to enroll themselves.

Your opinion and suggestions are most valid for further enhancing the utility of this Online Abacus Learning Platform. Do put your comments in the comment box.

Also Read: Starting An Abacus Franchise Things You Should Know

Frequently Asked Questions

My abacus centre closed during the pandemic — is it too late to restart?
No. Demand for structured mental-math training hasn't disappeared; only how parents look for classes has changed. Most successful restarts begin with reconnecting to old students and offering a genuine online-teaching platform rather than shifting back to generic video calls. Start with a shortlist of your last active batch and a fresh demo class.

Can I run a revived centre only online, or do I need a physical space again?
Either can work. Mastermind Abacus supports online, offline and hybrid formats, so you can restart in whichever way suits your budget and local demand. What matters is using a platform actually built for teaching abacus, not a generic conferencing app.

Will parents trust a centre that shut down once?
Trust is rebuilt through consistency, not promises. Being transparent about what has changed since the shutdown — better tools, structured levels, real evaluation — matters more to parents than pretending the closure never happened.

What does it cost to relaunch an abacus centre or franchise?
Setup and operating costs depend on the model you choose, and results depend on enrolments, expenses and execution, so it's worth discussing options directly with the franchise team rather than assuming a fixed figure.

How is Mastermind's online platform different from just using Zoom or Google Meet?
General video-calling apps aren't built for abacus: they don't support level-wise structure, real-time correction of finger movement, homework tracking or certification. Mastermind's live online abacus learning platform is designed specifically for these needs.

How long does it take to get enrolments back to pre-shutdown levels?
There's no fixed timeline — it depends on local demand, how many past students you re-engage, and how visible your reopened centre is locally. Steady, consistent outreach over a few months typically works better than one large announcement.