SOS: Securing Our Schools – Moneyweb

It is difficult to envision a prosperous economy when, out of the 1.2 million students who began grade 1 in 2013, only 615,000 managed to pass matric in 2024. Research reveals that a significant majority of South African grade 5 learners (81%) struggled with reading comprehension in 2023. These concerning statistics may not fully illustrate the severity of South Africa’s educational crisis.

What’s next?

As a group of professionals who have experienced the educational landscape, how can we initiate meaningful change? A crucial point highlighted in a 2025 World Bank Report¹ is the necessity of public-private partnerships. This involves collaboration between the public and private sectors, including investors, to cultivate a school system that enables individuals to secure their futures. As of 2024, there were 22,381 public schools and 2,469 independent schools across the country. Through our investment in the Old Mutual Alternative Investments EduFund, we are aiding in the development of a better-educated workforce.

Throughout 2024, the EduFund founded 18 new schools in the independent sector, bringing the total number of new schools built since the Fund’s launch in 2020 to 30. This represents about 1% of all independent schools in the nation. While 1% may appear small, if even a portion of those new students gain access to an effective education system, at least 12,000 of the 1.2 million could potentially reach grade 12.

Read: With basic education in a critical state, will the business sector intervene?

More than 13,000 students are currently enrolled in the schools established by the Fund. The objective is to serve a total of 27,000 students by the end of the construction phase in 2027/28. Education is a journey, and not every school in the portfolio has yet graduated a cohort of matriculants. However, of the 783 students who sat for the 2024 exams, 95% passed, exceeding the national average.

Preparing learners for a tech-driven future

The EduFund also focuses on cultivating critical skills to equip youth for a rapidly changing, technology-oriented world. Key areas of emphasis include STEM subjects such as Robotics, Coding, Mathematics, Advanced Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Information Technology. Educators at these schools are increasingly adopting EdTech tools, with the Fund securing bulk discounts on necessary devices.

Read: Matric results: SA’s record school pass rates aren’t what they seem

In 2024, over 2,200 students took advantage of bursaries and fee reductions, increasing access to quality education. This included:

• R418 million in bursaries provided by the Schools Fund, management companies, and school operators, benefiting 44 students
• R957,000 in external donor support, facilitating 60 placements
• R6 million in fee discounts, assisting more than 2,000 learners in maintaining enrollment.

Among the students in existing schools, 54% are female and 97% are black.

This is the foundation of our investment. We are nurturing educational initiatives from the ground up. Where opportunities for learning and development were once limited, there is now inspiration as we build one classroom at a time.

Fran Troskie, Manager Research Analyst.

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