Big plans for private school group in South Africa sold for R172 million
Generation Schools has been acquired by the Education Investment Impact Fund of South Africa (EduFund), with the school group planning to offer a curriculum to address the nation’s skills shortage.
EduFund is managed by Old Mutual Alternative Investments (OMAI) and acquired Generation from JSE-listed Trematon Capital Investments in a R172 million deal.
The school group was founded in 2016 via a partnership between entrepreneur Jevron Epstein and Trematon.
The schools were created with the goal of reimagining education by placing future readiness at the centre of the learning experience.
Over the last decade, the school group has grown massively, opening five locations in the Western Cape and one in Gauteng. It now serves thousands of students across the country.
The school said that the sale represents more than a change in shareholding and creates an opportunity to accelerate the school’s mission of delivering high-quality education.
This education will help students contribute to the economy, in addition to their academic success, given the high rates of youth unemployment.
Central to the rationale is Generation Trade Schools, which is the group’s vocational and skills pathway offering.
The arm aims to prepare students to meet critical shortages in technical and artisanal skills across the South African economy.
“Our responsibility is not simply to educate students, it is to help shape young people who can contribute meaningfully to their communities and the broader economy,” said Generation Schools CEO Jevron Epstein.
“Education must become increasingly connected to real-world outcomes. EduFund and OMAI share that conviction, and this partnership gives us the long-term capital and expertise to accelerate that work at scale.”
The group has outlined a growth strategy that is focused on expanding educational access and creating direct pathways to employment and entrepreneurship.
This includes Scaling Generation Trade Schools and vocational pathways to address critical skills shortages across the South African economy.
The school also plans to expand access to affordable schooling in underserved and emerging communities.
It also wants to grow South African curriculum-based schools, which are designed to serve the needs of local families while maintaining high academic standards.
There are also plans to deepen workplace learning, industry partnerships, and employability-focused programmes across all educational offerings.
The deal will see the existing Generation management team continuing to lead the business, ensuring continuity.
Trematon says goodbye
“We are deeply grateful to Trematon for believing in the vision of Generation Schools from the beginning,” said Epstein.
“Their support, guidance, and commitment over the past ten years have enabled us to build a strong foundation.”
He also praised Trematon for supporting a management-backed transaction that allows the leadership team to continue driving the business forward, while partnering with a long-term investor.
“South Africa’s skills deficit is one of the defining economic challenges of our time,” said Kelly Joshua, the Head of Education Investing for OMAI.
“Generation Schools has built something genuinely differentiated as a group that combines rigorous academic schooling with vocational and trade pathways that lead directly to employment.”
Trematon announced that the Generation Group did not meet early growth expectations. Despite the group’s potential, Trematon admitted it will take several years to fully realise it.
It added that Generation accounted for a significant part of its net asset value, yet its share price did not reflect that value.
Trematon’s board of directors thus concluded that the disposal and distribution of the resulting net proceeds will result in value for shareholders.
The profit attributable to the Generation Group for the six months ended 28 February 2026 was R3.06 million.
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