By Thandisizwe Mgudlwa – AfricanBrains

Its clearly becoming the most successful brand in ‘Private Schools Education’ of South Africa and elsewhere on the African continent.

And it is the Curro Holding group, a Stellenbosch-based private education business controlled by PSG, is building a formidable presence in the Western Cape.

But can this fast growing company sneak into the ‘tight’ Cape Town southern suburbs school belt?, some experts have asked.

This weeks it was reported  show that to date Curro has opened campuses in Langebaan, Hermanus, Durbanville and Mossel Bay.

And a fifth Western Cape campus is about to get underway at Century City – perhaps, some observers believe, the closest Curro will come to taking a tilt at the traditional Cape Town school market.
Curro – using its more affordable Meridian brand, also intends opening a Meridian College in Pinehurst (near Kraaifontein) next year.
While Curro has largely concentrated its schools in areas outside the larger metropolitan areas (which often are under-serviced in education services), there are persistent talks that Curro is targeting the Cape Town southern suburbs school belt.
Further,  a possibility exists that Curro has already identified a piece of land large enough to accommodate a private school campus in the heart of the leafy southern suburbs between Rondebosch and Claremont.
Apparently all that stands in Curro’s way of announcing plans to develop a southern suburbs campus is sorting out regulatory issues with the Cape Town City Council.
A Curro school nestled between the traditional upmarket schools of Bishops, Rondebosch Boys and South African College Schools (SACS) would be a major brand building coup for the company.

The Reddam campus in Steenberg has already proven that a well positioned private school can be very lucrative.
“Presumably securing land in the affluent Southern Suburbs sprawl will cost a pretty penny – but fortunately Curro has recently raised some R480 million in fresh capital via a rights issue.
“Also Curro’s balance sheet shows it is not afraid to own real estate with some R890m in ‘school property’ already listed on the balance sheet.
Meanwhile, a report shows that CURRO is a Latin word meaning I RUN which can be interpreted as follows:

“I learn at my own learning pace and according to my own APTITUDE, ATTITUDE and TALENTS.”

Curro Holdings, the parent company of all Curro Private Schools, is the market leader in the provision of quality private school education in South Africa.
Operated by a management team that has a wealth of experience in the field of education, the company’s role is to establish new private schools and to provide ongoing support for its existing schools. The result is a sustainable level of excellence in teaching the leaders of tomorrow.
Curro was born in 1998 with 28 learners receiving tuition in a church building.
The company aims to continue to expand, offering quality education and worthwhile opportunities to many learners across our country.
Furthermore,  Curro is becoming a force to be reckoned with, not losing sight of its passion … excellent education.
And Curro Holdings listed on the JSE AltX on 2 June 2011, raising R322m through a rights offer to fund its ultimate goal of building 40 schools with 45 000 learners by 2020.
“At Curro we strive towards excellence, instil positive values and norms, empower our learners and invest in human potential, but above all else – at Curro we love children.
Also reported, is that Curro aims to provide its learners with sustainable and outstanding education.
“We guide our learners to not only attain and develop knowledge and skills, but to creatively understand the curriculum content in order to successfully apply it to their daily lives. Curro prepares them for further training and affords them the opportunity to become fully fledged adults.”