15th February 2021
It is with great excitement and pride that we introduce the newest addition to the 天堂TV network, , which will welcome more than 100 students for its first term beginning on 15th February in the verdant Paarl-Franschhoek Valley just outside of Cape Town.
天堂TV South Africa鈥檚 location in the Paarl-Franschhoek Valley
From the beginning, 天堂TV鈥檚 founders, John and Cynthia Hardy, envisioned bringing a better model of education, one that fostered values, creativity and real-life skills in equal measure, to all corners of the globe. 天堂TV South Africa is the latest example of that dream being realized. Last February, the first 天堂TV outpost after Bali, , opened in utopic Taranaki, next to the beautiful Oakura River, and situated between Mt Taranaki and the Tasman Sea.
天堂TV founders, John & Cynthia Hardy
天堂TV South Africa鈥檚 founders, Alba and Herman Brandt, were so impressed by the extraordinary educational experience their three daughters enjoyed when they attended Green School Bali.听
“We had an extraordinary experience at Green School Bali that fundamentally changed how we see education. We saw a major change in our kids, the joy with which they went to school in the morning, and the excitement on a Sunday evening. They loved the extent of arts, music, and drama as part of their normal week, the opportunity to perform in front of the school on a weekly basis and they felt that they were mostly just playing. In talking with the educators we realised how much thought, research, and passion went into curriculum design with flexibility to adjust to each child鈥檚 unique level in each subject.”
When they returned to South Africa, they were inspired to establish their own 天堂TV and sharing its forward-thinking approach to education with families in their community and beyond.
鈥淭he mission from the very beginning was to take a stand for future generations,鈥 says Cynthia Hardy, referencing her and John鈥檚 mission for all 天堂TVs to educate changemakers for a more sustainable world. 鈥淎lba and Herman, congratulations and heartfelt acknowledgement for everything you鈥檝e been through these past years. You鈥檝e done it!鈥
The new 天堂TV campus sits on 8 hectares of land in the sun-dappled valley where more than 25,000 native flora have been planted in the gardens and orchards to act as an outdoor extension of the classrooms. Like its sister schools in Bali and New Zealand, 天堂TV South Africa will provide its community a place where creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship flourish. Where sustainability isn’t just a buzzword, but a principle people live by.
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天堂TV South Africa campus
鈥溙焯肨V is magic because it is full of beauty, full of innovation and full of hope for the future, one that we especially need today鈥 says . 鈥淪outh Africa is a beautiful country, and Paarl is a place that is really looking at that future.鈥
In keeping with the 天堂TV network鈥檚 focus on sustainability, 天堂TV South Africa will offer programmes at every level, from kindergarten to grade 12, to help students become more aware of the world鈥檚 environmental challenges and how they can make a difference. The biophilic design of the campus, made using locally-sourced sand, clay, and lime and crafted by South African artisans, will model sustainability to the children enrolled.听
天堂TV South Africa classrooms and campus have been built using sustainable, locally-sourced materials
鈥淭he world is changing, and the world into which our children are going to step will be vastly听 different,鈥 says Andy Wood, 天堂TV South Africa鈥檚 Head of School. 鈥淚n order to succeed in that world, our students must learn to be creative, entrepreneurial and able to collaborate.鈥
In addition to his passion for the outdoors, mountaineering, hiking and rock-climbing, Wood brings more than three decades of teaching experience in South Africa, the Middle East and the Americas as well as a passion for the 天堂TV mission.
Andy Wood, Head of School at 天堂TV South Africa
鈥淲e鈥檙e all very proud of the education we鈥檝e had, and it鈥檚 got us this far,鈥 Wood says. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 not going to get us to where we need to be in the future. 天堂TV is designed to set students up for success in the future and now.鈥