Introduction

From access to system-level impact.

Education is our most direct long-term investment in human potential. Once someone has an education, it cannot be taken from them, and the returns compound for life.

We tackle the challenge progressively. We begin with early childhood education, where the foundations of cognitive development and learning habits are set. We expand into high-quality, affordable primary and secondary schooling. We extend opportunity through tertiary scholarships. And we amplify impact at the system level through teacher capacity building.

In 2025 our focus was to expand reach while strengthening the foundations of quality and scalability, moving from operating individual institutions toward managing a scaled, high-performing network of schools.

5,000
Students, 2025
8
Pharo Schools across four countries
400+
Teachers
70+
Scholars supported since 2022
The problem

Potential is everywhere. Access to a good school is not.

Enrolment remains low in many areas, as families are constrained by cost or rely on children for labour. For those who do attend, inconsistent quality in schools, teachers and pedagogy limits the development of future-oriented skills. Even where high-quality education exists, it is often unaffordable.

These structural challenges were compounded by pandemic-related learning losses. With the world’s fastest-growing young population, addressing them is one of the most urgent priorities for Africa’s long-term development.

Our impact

Our impact

2025 results, reported in the annual report.

5,000
Students across eight Pharo Schools in four countries.
8
Schools operated, each a permanent, locally led institution.
400+
Teachers
99%
Homosha exam pass rate, against a national average near 8%.
70+
University scholars supported across eight countries since 2022.
250k
2035 ambition to reach learners through broader education programmes.
What we learnt

What we learnt

01

Quality is built early.

Somaliland’s first ECE randomised trial showed certified teachers produced learning outcomes 29% higher than non-certified peers. Investing in the earliest years pays the largest dividends.

02

A network is worth more than the schools.

Shared curriculum, assessment and teacher development mean each school improves the others. The 2025 decision to appoint a Managing Director for Pharo Schools reflects the shift from institutions to a system.

03

Multiplier programmes stretch the capital.

Teacher capacity building and computer-assisted learning reach far more children per dollar than our own campuses alone.

04

Self-sustaining is the goal.

Fee-paying schools for low- to middle-income families in growth centres give a credible pathway to long-term sustainability, not perpetual subsidy.

Engage

Work with Pharo Schools, or send your child to one.

Operator roles, partnership enquiries and school admissions all start here.

Elsewhere in the Pharo Verse Water → Productivity → The Pharo Verse →