Solidariteit Skoleondersteuningsentrum

What Solidariteit Skoleondersteuningsentrum does

Solidariteit Skoleondersteuningsentrum (SOS) is a South African non-profit company (NPC 2018/625355/08) that supports Christian, Afrikaans-medium education through a national school network, curriculum-aligned digital content, professional development, and advocacy. The organization operates as a hub for 208 member schools (lidskole), 20 network schools (netwerkskole), and 2 establishment schools (oprigtingskole), serving school leadership, teachers, learners, and parents. It sits within the broader Solidariteit Movement, alongside institutions such as Akademia, Sol-Tech, Helpende Hand, and Boufonds, and is funded in part by the Kampus Trust, a registered Public Benefit Organization that issues Section 18A tax certificates for donations.

SOS's core product is Wolkskool, a learning management system delivering more than 16,000 Afrikaans video lessons, worksheets, and assessments across 8 primary and 16 high school subjects, all aligned to the South African CAPS (KABV) curriculum and built by named subject specialists. The platform is supplemented by WolkskoolDirek (live online classes), 16 subject associations (vakverenigings) accessible through Wolkskool Raadsale (Council Rooms) with a shared question bank, baseline assessments for grades 5–10, the SOS Teaching and Learning Model, the SkoolSlim podcast, an annual National Congress (14th edition in 2026), and the Onnieveerder innovator competition. In 2026 the organization introduced Leerder Bot, a closed-domain AI learning assistant, alongside the KI-manifes (AI Manifesto) governing responsible AI use in schools.

The business model is hybrid and non-commercial in framing: school membership fees (annual, scaled by total Afrikaans learner count as of each school's 15th school day), individual teacher access via Solidariteit Onderwysernetwerk at R190/month, paid training and SARO-accredited seminars at R350 per attendee, one-time exam paper and guide sales (R100–R250 per item), and recurring monthly donations (R250–R2,000) routed through the PBO-registered Kampus Trust. The go-to-market is community-led: direct outreach to Afrikaans schools, online JotForm registration, content marketing, podcasts, webinars, and the annual Congress drive member acquisition across South Africa.

Name

Solidariteit Skoleondersteuningsentrum

Legal name

Solidariteit Skoleondersteuningsentrum

Website

https://skole.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Solidariteit Skoleondersteuningsentrum is a South African non-profit that supports Afrikaans education through a network of 230 schools, the Wolkskool platform with 16,000+ video lessons, 16 subject associations, professional development, and AI-assisted learning tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Support Services

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Test Prep & Exam Readiness (K–12) (EDAJALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Homework Help & Study Skills Coaching (EDAJALAB), K–12 Standardized Assessments & Benchmark Exams Prep (State tests, MAP, ISEE/SSAT) (EDANABAD)

Keywords

• Online learning platform
• Teacher professional development
• Curriculum aligned content
• Afrikaans education resources
• School membership network

Headquarters

HQ city

Centurion

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. School Membership Fees: Schools pay membership fees based on the total number of Afrikaans learners in the school, as determined by the school's 15th school day statistics. Schools with their own preschools can decide whether to register separately or as part of the school.
2. Sale of Educational Resources: Sale of examination papers, guides, and educational materials through the online store. Products include Mathematics and Afrikaans exam papers for grades 4-11, and various paid guides.
3. Training and Seminar Fees: Fees for attending seminars and training sessions. SARO-accredited SOS seminars at R350 per person. Annual National Education Congress with registration fees.
4. Donations (SOS Skenkingsfonds): The SOS donations fund collects donations to support the sustainability and expansion of projects. Monthly donation options at R250, R400, R1000, R2000, or custom amounts. The fund has Public Benefit Organization (PBO) status, qualifying donations for Section 18A tax certificates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Solidariteit Skoleondersteuningsentrum (SOS) is a non-profit education support centre that provides Afrikaans-medium schools, teachers and learners with a CAPS-aligned online learning platform (Wolkskool), live online classes (WolkskoolDirek), 16 subject associations, baseline assessments, an annual National Congress, professional development seminars and a Teaching and Learning Model. The organisation operates school membership tiers (lidskole, netwerkskole, oprigtingskole) and sells exam papers, guides and educational resources through an online shop, supplemented by tax-deductible donations.

Product overview

The Solidariteit Skoleondersteuningsentrum (SOS) operates as a platform-plus-modules architecture serving Afrikaans education in South Africa. The core platform consists of Wolkskool, a comprehensive online learning management system providing video lessons, assessments, and resources aligned with the KABV curriculum, complemented by WolkskoolDirek for live tutoring. Supporting modules include 16 subject-specific associations (vakverenigings) accessible through Raadsale, baseline assessments, the SkoolSlim podcast, and annual events like the National Congress and Onnieveerder competition. The network offering supports school establishment and provides the SOS Teaching and Learning Model. An AI-powered learning assistant (Leerder Bot) was introduced in 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wolkskool: A world-class online learning platform with over 16,000 video lessons, worksheets and assessments in 8 primary and 16 high school subjects in Afrikaans, aligned with the CAPS curriculum.
• WolkskoolDirek

Products and services

• Wolkskool Learning Management System (LMS) World-class online learning platform offering more than 16,000 video lessons, worksheets and assessments in 8 primary and 16 high school subjects in Afrikaans, all aligned with the KABV (CAPS) curriculum. Used by member schools, their teachers and learners.
• WolkskoolDirek Live Online Classes Live online classes with qualified Afrikaans teachers/tutors providing interactive, dynamic learning experiences where students can ask questions and participate in real time. Targets learners in Afrikaans-medium schools and their parents.
• SOS School Membership (Lidskole) Annual membership programme for Afrikaans-medium schools, priced per total Afrikaans learner (based on 15th school day statistics). Provides Wolkskool access for teachers and learners, 16 subject associations, congress discounts, free webinars, baseline assessments, Question Bank access, and Impact Study reports.
• SOS Network Offering (Netwerkskole) Comprehensive support programme for independent and network Afrikaans schools, bundling the Wolkskool platform, the SOS Teaching and Learning Model, professional development, curriculum and assessment support, and Impact Studies. For establishment schools (oprigtingskole), it extends from concept through to opening, including Master Teacher development and management models.
• SOS Teaching and Learning Model Proprietary Afrikaans-medium teaching and learning framework that combines curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and the Wolkskool platform into a single model for member and network schools.
• Baseline Assessment (Basislynassessering) Standardised school-level assessments for Grades 5 to 10 in Afrikaans Home Language and Mathematics, identifying academic strengths and areas for improvement at learner and school level. Available to member and network schools.
• SOS Subject Associations (Vakverenigings) 16 subject-specific professional associations (including VAW for Mathematics, GeRAT for Afrikaans, and others covering Robotics, Commerce, etc.) that provide subject teachers with worksheets, tests, exam papers with memorandums, and community support through Wolkskool Raadsale.
• Solidariteit Onderwysernetwerk Individual Teacher Subscription Monthly individual subscription (R190/month) for Afrikaans teachers at non-member schools, providing access to SOS resources, Wolkskool content, and the labour-related benefits of the Solidariteit Onderwysernetwerk.
• SARO-Accredited Teacher Seminars Accredited professional development seminars for teachers at R350 per person, with SARO attendance certificates, addressing classroom practice, subject-specific content and policy updates.
• National SOS Congress (Nasionale SOS-kongres) Annual multi-day national education congress featuring inspiration, practical tools, and subject-specific training sessions for teachers, school leaders and parents. Member schools receive a 20% registration discount.
• SOS Online Shop (Aanlyn Winkel) E-commerce store selling Afrikaans exam papers with memorandums for Grades 4-11 in Mathematics and Afrikaans, and paid educational guides (e.g., 'Verpersoonlike leer' at R250). Targets teachers, parents and learners.
• Leerder Bot (AI Learning Assistant) AI-powered Afrikaans learning assistant grounded in a closed CAPS and Wolkskool knowledge base, providing learners with explanations, problem-solving support and academic assistance as a supplementary tool outside the classroom.
• SOS Donations Fund (SOS Skenkingsfonds) Public-benefit donation programme operated through the Kampus Trust PBO (Section 18A), offering monthly giving tiers of R250, R400, R1000 or R2000 (and one-off gifts from R250) to sustain and expand SOS's Afrikaans education projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• SOS supports 208 member schools, 20 network schools, and 2 establishment schools nationwide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• WolkskoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWolkskool is an initiative of the Solidariteit Skoleondersteuningsentrum (SOS), forming part of the larger Solidariteit Movement. This non-profit organization strives to promote quality education in Afrikaans and provides comprehensive content aligned with the official CAPS curriculum of South Africa.
• Solidariteit BewegingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOS is part of the larger Solidariteit Movement which includes various institutions such as Helpende Hand, Solidariteit Jeug, Solidariteit Beroepsgildes, Boufonds, Regsfonds, S-leer, Akademia, Sol-Tech, Tenda Health, MedGap, FinEks, and others. SOS works with other institutions in the movement including Wolkskool to provide comprehensive support for Afrikaans education.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Thinkific: Thinkific is a course-delivery and LMS platform used by education entrepreneurs. It is a partial peer to Wolkskool's platform layer for hosting structured video lessons, assessments, and learner progress tracking, but is a horizontal tool rather than a CAPS-aligned content product.

Broad incumbents

• ADvTECH: ADvTECH is the largest private education provider in South Africa, operating schools, colleges, and tertiary institutions. It is comparable to SOS as a competitor for Afrikaans-medium learners through brands such as Curro and the broader private school ecosystem, though at a much larger scale and with a different commercial model.
• Pearson South Africa: Pearson South Africa is a major international publisher of CAPS-aligned textbooks, assessments, and digital learning resources. It is comparable to SOS/Wolkskool as a curriculum-aligned content and assessment provider competing for the same school budgets.
• Curro Holdings: Curro is a major listed South African private school group with English and Afrikaans campuses nationwide. It is a comparable operator in the Afrikaans private-school market that SOS supports, but operates schools directly rather than providing shared services and content to a school network.
• D2L (Brightspace): D2L is a global K-12 and higher-ed LMS provider with AI tutoring features. It is comparable to Wolkskool as an LMS backbone serving schools, though it does not offer Afrikaans-curriculum-specific content or the community/subject-association layer.

Direct peers

• Snapplify: Snapplify is a leading South African EdTech distribution and content platform providing digital textbooks, LMS infrastructure, and e-learning solutions to schools and publishers. It is comparable to the Wolkskool LMS layer and competes for the same school digital-content budget.
• Impaq: Impaq is a South African CAPS-aligned curriculum provider for home education and partner schools, supplying lesson materials, assessments, and teacher support. It is a direct analogue of Wolkskool/SOS in the CAPS-aligned content space, though focused on home education and English-medium learners.

Others

• Media24 (Naspers): Media24 is the dominant Afrikaans-language media group in South Africa (part of Naspers/Prosus), with education, book, and digital content brands. It is a thematic peer given shared Afrikaans-language audience, though not a direct competitor in school-membership-based support services.
• Akademia: Akademia is the higher-education institution within the Solidariteit Movement, which is the parent ecosystem of SOS. It is comparable as a sister institution in the broader Solidarity Afrikaans education value chain, sharing brand, donor base, and pipeline into Wolkskool-supported schools.

Regional players

• Via Afrika (NB Publishers): Via Afrika is the educational publishing arm of NB Publishers and a long-standing CAPS-aligned Afrikaans and English textbook and learning-materials provider. It is comparable as a supplier of Afrikaans curriculum content to schools, though primarily print-based and operating in a different format than Wolkskool's video-led LMS.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SOSSkole
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/skoleondersteuningsentrum
• Instagraminstagram.com/sos_skole

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Solidariteit Skoleondersteuningsentrum