It became apparent to Stacey Brewer, 31, while she was studying for her MBA, that education in South Africa was in dire straits and required “more than just a Band-Aid”. It demanded systemic change.
So she decided that, if she wanted to raise children here, she needed to do something about it. Cue Spark Schools: a network of private primary schools dedicated to “delivering accessible, high-quality education to South Africans”.
Pioneering a blended learning model – a combination of teacher-led and computer-based learning – Spark scholars are taught using a self-paced, individualised approach.
And true to their promise to be “accessible”, a year’s tuition is on a par with government schools. You could say Spark is as much a new wave of education as Brewer’s approach is to commerce.
Make no mistake, Brewer is an entrepreneur, not an educator: creating a business platform and opportunity for teachers and scholars to deliver the results. Which is exactly what they’re doing: proving everyone wrong by showing them what can be done with a small budget and a big vision. In our books, Brewer deserves an A+.
Find Brewer on Twitter: @stace_d_brewer