EduLife bolt-on acquisition: Fast-growing, private equity-backed schools group gets foothold in Gauteng

With the purchase of Arrow Education, EduLife Group – a longstanding portfolio company of Sanari Capital’s 3S Growth Fund – takes a significant step toward its goal of providing quality education to learners across South Africa who might not otherwise have access to it.

With support from the Sanari 3S Growth Fund — which focuses on Sustainability, Scalability, and Saleability — EduLife has grown from its roots in The Academy of Excellence, a high-performing school in Bloemfontein with a history spanning more than 25 years, to become the largest private education group in the Free State. It then expanded into the Eastern Cape and now has a foothold in Gauteng, South Africa’s financial heartland.

Hansie Engelbrecht, Chief Executive Officer of Edulife Group, said: “We are delighted to welcome Arrow Academy into the Edulife family. Their pioneering approach to 21st-century learning — combining creativity, technology, and learner-centred development — complements our vision of empowering every child to reach their full potential. This acquisition not only marks our first step into Gauteng but also underscores our commitment to growing a truly national network of schools.”

“EduLife’s thesis has always been about rolling out quality, affordable education across South Africa,” says Moushmi Patel, Investment Partner at Sanari Capital. “The group has stayed true to its underpinning ethos of democratising quality education.”

The latest acquisition, Arrow Academy in Centurion, near Pretoria, has 400 learners, which brings the group’s total learner count to over 4000. The plan is to expand Arrow Academy — a well-established school with a track record of success and values aligned to EduLife’s — to include a high school.

Trevashan Pillay, Investment Associate at Sanari Capital, adds that EduLife aspires to become a household name associated with delivering forward-thinking, quality education that is accessible. A key differentiator is that EduLife targets learners in under-served areas — children whose families would not ordinarily be able to afford private education. The business is currently in the process of acquiring land in the Western Cape to expand there, too.

The investment from Sanari Capital’s 3S Growth Fund, under the theme “Education is the most powerful weapon”, has already enabled the group to triple its learner numbers. Further expansion plans are based on the efficient use of resources. Each school can leverage the resources of the larger group — for example, by incorporating AI and robotics into the curriculum, supported by group-level robotics partnerships with industry leaders.

Nikesh Ramkillet, Chief Operating Officer of EduLife, said: “EduLife’s model focuses on the quality of teaching and putting the learner first to deliver quality holistic education at an affordable price. Sanari recognised the sustainability of our model. Their support enabled us to expand more rapidly into areas of greatest need while diversifying the model to reach a broader target audience.”

EduLife offers a syllabus that goes beyond academics. Children receive a holistic education, including sports and drama — opportunities that children in lower LSMs often do not have access to. This model aims to unlock opportunity among the millions of under-served South African children.

Another factor that sets EduLife apart is its policy of placing the local community at the centre of its work. At its schools in the Free State, for example, access to land enables those studying agriculture to grow crops on-site. The local community assists with these projects, and the food produced is made available to them at minimal cost.

This level of community engagement helps counteract one of the major challenges facing schools in or near poorer neighbourhoods: the vandalism of school facilities. In contrast, communities surrounding EduLife schools tend to protect them.

Calling it a bittersweet moment for Optimi education group, Arrow Academy’s outgoing investor, Optimi CEO Stefan Botha said: “This is a bitter-sweet moment for Optimi. While I’m very proud of what we’ve built at Arrow, it is time for the next chapter.  I believe that EduLife is a great custodian to support Arrow Academy in the next phase of their development, given their expertise as a schooling group and their successful track record in nurturing growing schools.”

Arrow Academy’s Executive Head Kavashnee Singh described EduLife as “an ideal partner to support the next chapter of our journey”, adding: “We are confident that this transition will strengthen our foundation and open up new opportunities to enhance our offering, while continuing to provide nurturing, future-ready education.”

With revolutionary policies, continued support from the Sanari 3S Growth Fund, and a new foothold in Gauteng, EduLife looks set to continue growing and expanding as it transforms South African education in an equitable and sustainable way.

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