ADvTECH acquires equity in Star Schools

Commenting on the acquisition, Frank Thompson, the CEO of ADvTECH Group said: "ADvTECH and Star Schools possess complementary strengths, which promote a shared vision of delivering quality education to students. Innovation is a key strategic imperative for the group and this acquisition represents an opportunity to accelerate the growth of technology-led education.

We have established a great rapport with Atul Patel and his team at Star Schools, and have high hopes for what this new and innovative partnership can produce for education in South Africa."

Star Schools started some 40 years ago as a Saturday morning programme to prepare learners writing matric. It has grown into one of the largest matric rewrite schools in South Africa enabling students to improve their results in mathematics and science and has over 15 000 matric subject entries enrolling annually. Star Schools also provides supplementary classes in various subjects to learners from Grade 9 through to Grade 12 on a part-time basis, primarily through Saturday schools in various centres around the country. It also has a successful programme to assist in improving the skills of educators through focused workshops supported by ongoing coaching.

First High School

January 2014 will herald the opening of the first Star Schools High School in Braamfontein. This is a new venture for Star Schools with exciting potential for further growth. Using proven technology and top educators, these schools will build on the success of the original Star Schools model while drawing on ADvTECH's strengths as a result of the investment.

Atul Patel, the CEO of Star Schools, said: "We are excited about working with the ADvTECH Group as our students will benefit from the breadth and depth of our combined resources and joint commitment to providing quality education."