S. Africa firm to open international school in Tatu City
Workers Put up Tatu City industrial park signage: Advtech runs several school brands including Abotts College, Trinityhouse, Junior Colleges and Centurius Colleges. FILE PHOTO | NMG
The Sandton-based firm will build the Crawford International School in Tatu City, Kiambu, where it has purchased land.
It will admit learners from kindergarten to A-levels as well as offer boarding facilities for senior students.
The company did not give details of the upcoming school, including the anticipated range of fees and curriculum.
South Africa’s private education firm Advtech is set to open a school in Kiambu under its Crawford Schools brand, becoming the latest international investor to enter the local market.
The Sandton-based firm, which is also listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), will build the Crawford International School in Tatu City, Kiambu, where it has purchased land.
The institution will admit learners from kindergarten to A-levels as well as offer boarding facilities for senior students.
“Advtech is rapidly growing its African footprint, both in the private school and private university sector across Africa, and is delighted to find a home at Tatu City,” company’s head of international development, Jaco Lotz, said in a statement.
The company did not give details of the upcoming school, including the anticipated range of fees and curriculum. CrawfordSchools in South Africa, however, offer the Victorian Certificate of Equivalence, an Australian qualification that is also equivalent to British A-Levels.
High demand
Advtech joins a growing list of institutional investors in Kenya’s private education cashing in on high demand for quality schooling from local wealthy families, middle class and expatriates working for multinationals, foreign governments and global institutions such as the United Nations.
South Africa’s Nova Pioneer and Beirut’s Sabis are the other new entrants, joining established names such as Hillcrest International School, St Andrews Turi, German School and Brookhouse School.
The schools cater to learners seeking international certifications such as the General Certificate of Education, which prepare them for entry to universities in Western cities.
Advtech runs several school brands including Abotts College, Trinityhouse, Junior Colleges and Centurius Colleges.
The multinational, which also offers training and staff placement in South Africa, has 90 schools in South Africa and an institution in Botswana, all hosting 27,000 students.
Advtech earned Sh15.5 billion revenue in the six months ended June and generated a net profit of Sh1.6 billion in the same period.
READ: Metal and plastic packaging firm to invest at Tatu City
