Pearson, the UK-based education and media group, aims to chalk up a meaningful presence in South Africa’s fast-growing private education sector.

The company, which owns the Financial Times newspaper, on Wednesday announced an initial R28m investment for the development of technology-driven low-cost private schools in South Africa.

It will partner eAdvance, the company behind Spark Schools, to grow its network of primary schools. Pearson is already a major player in the global education sector, generating revenue of more than £4.3bn last year.

Pearson SA CEO Riaan Jonck said the eAdvance transaction was the first push into private education. “We have specifically targeted South Africa, and aim to be a meaningful player in this sector in the years ahead.

“We are looking at opportunities to buy private schools.”

Currently Pearson is involved in tertiary education only through Pearson CTI and the Midrand Graduate Institute. Mr Jonck said Pearson – aside from the Spark Schools initiative – was hoping to operate up to 15 private schools in the short to medium term.

The Pearson pitch seems well-timed as the private education sector has become a darling of the JSE with well-established Advtech and fast-growing Curro Holdings attracting strong market ratings.

Vunani Securities analyst Anthony Clark said the injection of capital from Pearson in the scale of costs in South Africa was small. “I do not see the investment by Pearson as having any material effect on the two established players of Advtech and Curro – though they will surely have noted the deal given the depth of experience Pearson has in global education and learning technology.”

Mr Jonck said Pearson hoped to use the initial Spark Schools investment to build eight low-cost “blended” learning schools over the next three years.

He described preliminary academic results from Spark’s first class as “overwhelmingly positive”, with 91% achieving 18 months worth of reading last year and more than half of the learners concluding the year above international grade level standards in mathematics.

He said Spark’s blended model allowed delivery of high-quality education at a price point significantly lower than the majority of South Africa’s private schools.