Private education group raises R121 million in funding for expansion

Spark Schools, a provider of high-quality affordable education in South Africa, says it has closed a Series B round investment of US$9 million (R121 million) with a group of investors led by Omidyar Network.

The announcement comes as Spark Schools continues to expand its network of high-quality, low-cost, private primary schools in South Africa that first launched in 2013.

“This latest round of investment holds great significance for us at Spark Schools,” said Stacey Brewer, CEO of Spark Schools.

“When we launched our first school three years ago, we committed to providing affordable education of the highest international quality for all South African children. This investment serves as recognition of the promise of our model, which has reached our 2,500 scholars and will now be poised to expand to exponentially more South Africans.”

Spark Schools currently operates eight primary schools across South Africa and aims to have 20 schools by 2019, with a capacity to serve 20,000 scholars.

The school network is a pioneer in blended learning, an education approach that combines teacher-led instruction with adaptive education technology to provide students with an individualized, highly effective experience.

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