kolab. exists because one person asked a question most people weren’t asking.
Why are South Africa’s Foundation Phase teachers so underserved — and what would happen if they weren’t?
Meet Kole Montano
Founder and CEO, kolab.
Kole Montano spent years working at the intersection of education and technology in South Africa. What she kept seeing was the same gap — talented, committed Foundation Phase teachers doing their best with almost no professional support infrastructure around them.
No accessible development tools. No community. No resource that understood the specific, complex, demanding reality of teaching Grade R through Grade 3 in an under-resourced South African school.
So she built one.
kolab. launched with a single conviction: that the fastest way to improve outcomes for South African learners is to properly equip the teachers already standing in front of them. Not with more curriculum documents. Not with once-a-year workshops. With something they could use every day, on the phone already in their pocket, built around the planning framework they already work within.
That conviction hasn’t changed. The platform has grown to over 2 200 CAPS-aligned modules. The community has grown to teachers across KwaZulu-Natal and beyond. The evidence — endorsed through internal moderation by JET Education Services — confirms that it works.
kolab. is still early. But the foundation is real, the results are real, and the need has never been greater.
What we believe
Three beliefs that shape everything we do.
Teachers deserve better.
Foundation Phase teachers shape more lives than almost any other professional in South Africa. They deserve resources, community, and recognition that reflect that.
Evidence over assumption.
Every decision kolab. makes is grounded in data, research, and feedback from the teachers using the platform. We don't guess at what works — we measure it.
Impact at scale starts small.
kolab. began in Hammarsdale. It will grow nationally. But we will never sacrifice depth of impact for breadth of reach. The teachers we serve will always feel that.
Who we work with
Partners and funders who share our conviction.
Corion Capital
SED and CED
SCM DMA
SED and CED
Anchor Capital
SED and CED
Anchor Institutional
SED and CED
Fedgroup Life Limited
CED
Fedgroup Participation Bond
CED
Fedgroup Employee Benefits
CED
JET Education Services
Endorser
If you believe what we believe — we’d love to talk.
That a properly supported teacher is the most powerful force for change in South African education.
Get in touch