1. ESA PROFILE
schollar@global.co.za
eric.esa@gmail.com
Established in 1994, Eric Schollar and Associates (ESA) is a leading independent research agency that has worked
extensively in the broad education and training sector with systematic programme evaluation studies as our primary focus.
We have carried out, or have been involved in, the evaluations, reviews or delivery of many of the most significant
educational interventions operated in South Africa at national, multi-provincial and provincial levels over the last 21
years. ESA has completed a variety of other research commissions including socio-economic impact studies, and large
scale community surveys to inform development planning, both chiefly for the mining industry, as well as a number of
community needs/interests/attitudinal surveys, chiefly for the NGO sector, in both urban and rural contexts.
As well as carrying out our own research commissions, ESA regularly provides project management services to other
research and development agencies, as well as field researchers or programme facilitators and technical support; research
and instrument design, data collection, capture and analysis, including the development of internet-based searchable data
bases, and report writing.
ESA has had extensive and long-term experience in all South African provinces and contexts; urban, township, informal
settlements, rural and remote areas. We have worked with a wide range of state departments, private sector companies,
independent foundations, universities, development agencies and NGOs, both local and international:
 RioTinto Management Services  Jane Hofmeyr Associates
 Education Africa  FOSKOR Development Trust
 UNESCO  Anglogold Ltd.
 Department for International Development (DfID)  University of Pretoria
 The National Business Initiative (NBI)  JET Education Services
 Anglo American Platinum (AMPLATS)  The Palabora Foundation
 Junior Achievement South Africa (JASA)  The ZENEX Foundation
 READ Education Trust  The Business Trust
 Media in Education Trust (MiET)  Witkoppen Community Trust
 Business Education Design (Pty) Ltd.  Kimberley-Clark (Pty) Ltd.
 President’s Education Initiative (PEI)  The Urban Foundation
 Association for Development of Education in Africa (ADEA)
 Research Triangle Institute International (RTI-I)
 Independent Schools Association of South Africa (ISASA)
 Catholic Institute of Education (CIE)
 The British Council
 The Shuttleworth Foundation
 The Kangra Group
 Stellenbosch University
 The Gauteng Education Development Trust (GEDT)  Anglo American Chairman’s Fund
 The Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE)  Limpopo Department of Education
 XSTRATA Trust (South Africa)  Fuel Trust
 Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
 Room to Read Trust
 National Planning Commission (NPC)
 Evaluation Research Agency (ERA)
 Click Foundation  Epoch and Optima Trusts
 The National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT)
 The Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership & Governance
(MGSLG)
 ELMA Philanthropies
 National Education Evaluation and
Development Unit (NEEDU)
ESA does not employ a large permanent staff containing all of the skills and competencies required to complete the
different commissions, from different organizations with different research agendas, that we are awarded. ESA has
instead developed since 1994 a stable and extensive network of experienced Senior and Junior Associates, as well as Field
Researchers, providing a multiplicity of available skills ranging across the spectrum from project management and
research design to data collection, capture and analysis in a wide variety of research and social contexts.
The principal research associates of ESA all have tertiary qualifications and most have teaching experience, many at
management level, while others have experience in the corporate investment/social responsibility or adult education
sectors. In addition, many have direct experience of the strategic planning, operational design, management, delivery,
monitoring and evaluation of large-scale development projects of different kinds, as well as of materials development.
A Research Team is constructed for each research commission awarded to ESA consisting of all of the relevant skills and
capacities required to complete those commissions. We are able to provide experienced field researchers who are
conversant in all of the African languages, as well as in English and Afrikaans.