Edu Invest welcomes Christel House’s expansion in 2025
17 February 2025, Cape Town: Edu Invest, powered by Wesgro, in collaboration with the Western Cape Department of Education (WCED), celebrates the 2025 expansion project of no-fee school, Christel House South Africa for its high school. The expansion will double its impact and increase its capacity to grant more high school students in the region with access to its’ unique model that combines quality education with a multi-tiered social service support system for learners.
Over the years, Cape Town and the Western Cape have seen an increase in low and no-fee private schools, like Christel House, which have assisted in accommodating the growing number of learners that join the region’s education system. Edu Invest, together with the Western Cape Education Department, has a strategic focus on attracting investment into education to improve the access to quality education by marginalised youth living in under-served communities.
Since its inception in 2002, Christel House South Africa has been on a mission to empower and transform the lives of learners who face challenging circumstances through its holistic education and life support services, and has produced stellar matric results, year-on-year. “We are proud of our 95% matric pass rate and our 19 distinctions for the Class of 2024,” said Adri Marais, CEO of Christel House South Africa.
This ambitious expansion project is part of the school’s broader goal to replicate the Ottery campus model, which provides quality education from Early Childhood Development and primary school to high school within a single vicinity. The initiative aims to bring this model to another area, benefiting learners from disadvantaged backgrounds in the region. “Through this expansion, we aim to accommodate more students and grant them access to quality education combined with a fully integrated nutritional, healthcare, social welfare, and career guidance life support system that not only transforms the lives of our learners, but sets them up to achieve long-term success,” adds Marais.
A key highlight of the Ottery campus expansion is the development of an additional high school facility, which will accommodate 300 learners upon completion. The 2,000m² building features 1,200m² on the ground floor and 800m² on the top floor. It includes 11 classrooms, a media centre, a cutting-edge CAT lab, an administrative block and specialty rooms. This facility is designed to support innovative learning and create an environment where students can thrive.
The new high school is set to accommodate learners from more than 50 primary schools from surrounding areas. It will grow gradually, enrolling 60 new students each year until full capacity is reached. To meet the demands of this growth, additional teachers will be onboarded annually. In 2025, four new teachers will join the team, with another four in 2026, three in 2027, and two in 2029 – culminating in 13 additional educators by the end of the decade.
Edu Invest has supported Christel House by providing facilitation assistance. ‘‘Edu Invest’s involvement in the project exemplifies its commitment to fostering meaningful change in South Africa’s education landscape. By facilitating investment into independent schools like Christel House, Edu Invest ensures that quality education is accessible, sustainable, and impactful,’’ said Wrenelle Stander, CEO at Wesgro.
Celebrating this exciting development, Minister of Western Cape Education, David Maynier noted, ‘‘The expansion of Christel House South Africa is a shining example of how collaboration between public and private sectors can drive meaningful change in education. This project represents hope, opportunity, and a commitment to ensuring that every child in our province has access to quality education.’’
“We encourage everyone interested in learning more about Christel House SA to visit https://sa.christelhouse.org/,” says Marais.
Looking ahead, Edu Invest will continue to support schools like Christel House by identifying opportunities for future developments and providing expert assistance to help establish new schools in the region.
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About Edu Invest
Edu Invest is a catalytic project powered by Wesgro, in collaboration with the Western Cape Education Department, with the objective of attracting private sector investment into the Western Cape’s education sector. This includes a focus on new school builds. The initiative is not only aimed at driving financial investment but also about leveraging corporate social investment to make a lasting impact on the educational landscape.