CSI & Education
Why I started kolab.
Kole Montano on why kolab. was built for Foundation Phase teachers rather than learners - and why teacher development in South Africa is slower than funders expect.
Kole Montano · 26 July 2026Read more →
Foundation PhaseSouth Africa
One teacher. 1 155 learners over a 35-year career.
That’s the return on investing in kolab.
South Africa’s Foundation Phase teacher development platform — CAPS-aligned, evidence-led, and built for the classroom.
2 200+
CAPS-aligned professional development modules
100%
Teacher and learner satisfaction (6 schools)
1 155
Learners reached over a 35-year teaching career
Grade R–3
CAPS aligned across all content
The problem
South Africa’s Foundation Phase is where the literacy crisis starts. And where it can be stopped.
81% of Grade 4 learners in South Africa cannot read for meaning (PIRLS 2021). That statistic doesn’t begin in Grade 4 — it begins years earlier, in under-resourced Foundation Phase classrooms where teachers are expected to deliver world-class education with minimal professional support.
Foundation Phase teachers — those teaching Grade R through Grade 3 — shape a child’s entire relationship with learning. They are the highest-leverage intervention point in the South African education system. And they are the most underserved.
kolab. exists because we believe the fastest way to reach more learners is to properly equip the teachers already in front of them.
81%
of Grade 4 learners in South Africa cannot read for meaning
Source: PIRLS 2021
1 155
learners are reached over the course of a single teacher’s 35-year career
Invest in the teacher. Reach the classroom.
R119 billion
the estimated annual cost of illiteracy to South Africa’s economy
Source: Trialogue Business in Society Handbook 2025
Professional development that fits in a teacher’s pocket.
kolab. is a mobile app giving Foundation Phase teachers access to over 2 200 CAPS-aligned professional development modules — anytime, anywhere, on their mobile phones. With funder support, we provide connectivity so that data costs are never a barrier to access.
Learn
Learn at your own pace
Bite-sized modules across Maths, English, Pedagogy, Life Skills and more — structured around the CAPS curriculum and designed to be completed between lessons, not instead of them.
Think
Think deeper, teach better
Every module is built on Harvard Project Zero thinking routines — frameworks that develop reflective, confident teachers who don't just deliver content, but understand it.
Integrate
Works with what you already use
kolab. also integrates directly with the KZN NECT Planner and Tracker — the daily planning framework teachers already work within. Less prep. More confidence. Same compliance.
kolab. doesn’t add to a teacher’s workload. It makes the work they’re already doing easier.
Download the AppOur impact
Real teachers. Measurable results. Evidence you can check.
kolab. was built on a simple belief — that investing in a Foundation Phase teacher is one of the highest-leverage investments you can make in South African education. Every number below represents that belief in practice.
100%
of teachers and learners gave top-tier ratings (6 schools)
97.7%
said kolab. modules will assist their planning and teaching (43 teachers)
42
teachers in the Hammarsdale community
3
KZN schools visited and celebrated
A growing professional community in Hammarsdale, KZN
In Term 2 of 2025, 42 Foundation Phase teachers in Hammarsdale participated in kolab.’s WhatsApp learning challenge — completing weekly tasks, exploring the app, and applying its modules in their classrooms. At the end of the term, kolab. visited each of the top three teachers at their school to celebrate their achievement.
Samukelisiwe Ngcobo
Isiqalo Primary, Hammarsdale
Busisiwe Mvulana
Ekwenameni Primary, Hammarsdale
Nayo Maphumulo
Entendeleni Primary, Hammarsdale
Endorsed through internal moderation by JET Education Services.
JET Education Services is one of South Africa’s most respected education research and monitoring organisations, and a member of the UNESCO UNEVOC Network. Following internal moderation of the kolab. pilot programme, JET formally endorsed kolab. as an effective professional development tool for Foundation Phase teachers.
Dr C.A. Gibbs — JET Education Services
What teachers say
“kolab. is making teaching and learning accessible to all. It takes the guessing out of lesson planning and makes life so much easier.”
Dr Swanepoel
University of Pretoria
“The kolab. 'extras' are a brilliant resource for all teachers at all levels. Not only applicable for Foundation Phase English or Maths, the modules offer all sorts of tips for teachers that cannot be learned at college. Made by teachers for all teachers.”
Bridget Shelton
St John's College, Johannesburg
“This app has helped me plan interactive lessons at the click of a button. It saves planning time and significantly reduces unnecessary time wasting.”
Teacher
Theodore Herzl, Port Elizabeth
Behind every one of these numbers is a teacher who showed up differently the next day. And behind every teacher is a classroom full of children who need them to.
Download our full impact report →Investing in kolab. is investing in the highest-leverage point in South African education.
South Africa spends billions on education every year. The returns remain disappointing — not because teachers don’t care, but because they are under-equipped. Here is what a partnership with kolab. makes possible.
Professional development at scale
Every rand invested in kolab. funds access to 2 200+ CAPS-aligned modules for Foundation Phase teachers — content they can use immediately, in their own classroom, on their own phone.
Connectivity
In under-resourced schools, data costs are a real barrier. Funder support allows kolab. to provide WiFi access through routers at partner schools, removing cost as an obstacle to professional growth.
Community
kolab. Smart Support is a national WhatsApp community initiative giving teachers curated content, guidance, and practical materials for daily teaching — across eight content areas from lesson planning to teacher health and wellbeing.
Measurable impact
Every kolab. partnership comes with structured reporting — teacher engagement data, module completion rates, workshop feedback, and third-party moderation. You will always know what your investment is doing.
Structured for CSI compliance
kolab. supports your B-BBEE SED and CED requirements. Contributions made via the InForum Foundation are Section 18A tax deductible.
B-BBEE SEDB-BBEE CEDSection 18AQuarterly reporting
Insights
Thinking about Foundation Phase education in South Africa.
Research, stories, and perspectives from the kolab. team.
Let’s talk about what a partnership could look like.
Every kolab. partnership is structured around your organisation’s CSI objectives, budget, and reporting requirements. The first step is a 20-minute conversation.