Imagine Scholar Awarded on Global Stage
The innovative South African education program, Imagine Scholar has been awarded the following accolades at the international Wharton Business School — QS Reimagine Education Awards in London:
1. The “Gold” award in the Arts & Humanities discipline
2. The “Silver” award for best education programs in the African region, and
3. The “Silver” award for most innovative K12 education program globally
Imagine Scholar received awards for every eligible category in the midst of the world’s most progressive and successful educational institutions including, but not limited to MIT’s MicroMasters program, Imperial College Business School, the Open University, and PwC.
Jack Moran, Program Manager for the Reimagine Education Awards, said:
“One of Reimagine Education’s founding missions is to support the scalable, evidence-based pedagogies that might be used to support one billion future learners. In particular, we are seeking pedagogical approaches designed to serve the expanding demand for high-quality education across the African continent. Imagine Scholar was [selected] because it is an outstanding example one such approach. We offer especial commendation to the Imagine Scholar team for its clear evidence of efficacy: very few applications can boast that 100% of their graduates who have applied to university have both been accepted and graduated. In a context where higher education enrolment rates are low and completion rates concerning, Imagine Scholar offers a replicable, evidence-based model for 21st-century African education.”
The program, based in the semi-rural Nkomazi region of South Africa’s Mpumalanga province, catalyzes untapped human potential in an area devoid of strong education infrastructure. A focus on curiosity, creativity, and character balanced with an emphasis on personalized learning strategy empowers students to take ownership of their education while building the competencies they will need to excel in university and the workplace. Imagine Scholar youth have shattered glass ceilings that typically hem in the progress of students from rural geographies. The program boasts a growing alumni network studying at prestigious institutions across four continents.
Reimagine Education Conference and Awards, an initiative of the Wharton School and Alfred West Jr Learning Lab, showcases the world’s leading innovations in education that enhance both learning and employability. Across a multitude of categories, regions, and disciplines, exceptional organizations are awarded $50,000 in grant funding in the presence of a global audience of education thought-leaders. The conference was attended by Imagine Scholar’s Strategy & Engagement Manager, Caitlin Graaf, who remarked:
“Since inception, Imagine Scholar has emphasized ethics and a sense of culture in learning. It is gratifying not only to see our relatively small program be awarded among true international leaders in the education space, but also to see how ahead of the curve our program’s pedagogical approach has been for years. The speakers’ and judges’ prioritization of initiatives that underscore the intrinsic value of learning and the importance of cultivating kind and empathetic leaders for the 21st-Century was inspiring, to say the least.”
