South Africa’s education system faces significant hurdles: socio-economic disparities, unequal resource distribution, and limited access to quality teaching. Many learners are left behind, creating a deep divide in educational outcomes. But a powerful force is emerging to bridge this gap: EdTech.
Injini, a leading EdTech accelerator, is at the forefront of this transformation. The organization has just announced its third cohort of fellows for the 2025 Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship, signaling a continued commitment to fostering innovation in education.
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EdTech: A Beacon of Hope
“At Injini, we are dedicated to bridging this gap,” says Krista Davidson, Executive Director of Injini. “We believe that EdTech, when used in impactful ways, can democratize education, enabling learners to access meaningful and relevant learning opportunities.”
The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship has already demonstrated the transformative power of technology in education. Over the past two years, the first two cohorts of Fellows have achieved remarkable results, reaching over one million new learners and nearly 20,000 schools across South Africa. Notably, more than half of these schools are located in quintile 1 to 3 areas, demonstrating a focus on reaching underserved communities. Furthermore, 59.7% of the beneficiaries are female, and the program has engaged with over 86,000 new teachers.
Addressing Urgent Needs
Injini’s selection process for the third cohort prioritized solutions that address the most pressing needs of South Africa’s education system. “When selecting this cohort, we prioritized the most urgent needs of South Africa’s education system such as teacher training, infrastructure deficits and access to relevant and quality education,” says Davidson.
Meet the 2025 Fellows
The 2025 Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship cohort represents a diverse mix of innovative companies, each tackling a unique challenge in South Africa’s education landscape:
- EduFeArn: Develops learning and teacher support materials for life skills, civic democracy, maths, and sciences.
- Edulution Learning: Aims to transform education in Africa with a scalable blended e-learning platform.
- Edutech Institute: Provides personalized AI-driven learning solutions.
- Huddle Education: Provides high-quality, low-cost blended classrooms.
- Keller Education: Provides professional development for schools, equipping leaders and educators with cutting-edge methods.
- Limu: An educational app that makes learning indigenous African languages fun for children.
- OLICO Maths Education: Helps learners from low-resource schools master mathematics.
- OURS: Tackles the challenge of limited access to quality digital learning resources in rural and peri-urban South Africa.
- SchoolAdvisor: Simplifies procurement for schools, helping them find the right suppliers.
- Thuma Mina Teaching: Provides engaging video lessons and learning materials.
- TechWays: Provides high school learners with accessible, affordable tech courses in digital skills.
- Thooto: A video-first, self-paced learning platform offering accredited vocational courses.
Empowering Growth and Impact
Similar to previous cohorts, the 2025 Fellows will receive customized support focused on:
- Expanding market access to reach learners at the bottom of the education pyramid.
- Measuring impact effectively to demonstrate their solutions’ value and scalability.
- Strengthening business sustainability, including preparation for investment where appropriate.
A Brighter Future for Education
“Looking at the last two cohorts from South Africa and their EdTech solutions’ impact on learners, we are confident that investing in technology for education makes learning inclusive,” adds Rodwell Mangisi, Acting Director of the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning. “Through these local solutions, learners who were previously left out of the education ecosystem now have an opportunity to learn and prosper. We are optimistic that the next cohort will focus on inclusion.”
As South Africa continues to address its educational challenges, Injini’s commitment to supporting innovative EdTech solutions is crucial. The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship is more than just an investment in technology; it’s an investment in the future of South Africa’s learners, teachers, and communities.
