Dr Taddy Blecher doesn’t shy away from bold statements.
“There has never been a more exciting time in education in the history of the world. Yet, if educators do not change, billions will undertake a largely irrelevant education.
“Artificial intelligence will perform much better than even the smartest genius. We need to be ready.”
The energetic South African doyen of global education is currently in London promoting his latest initiative: the Africa College Foundation.
“We are here to learn about exciting educational methodologies in universities which we can bring to Africa. The Foundation already operates in nine locations across South Africa, as well as in Zambia and Zimbabwe.
“Our goal is to be a leading pan-African educational institution, truly bringing innovation to education for unemployed youth and marginalised people across the continent.”
It’s the latest in a long line of remarkable achievements over a career spanning nearly three decades.
Taddy’s own journey began two generations earlier.
“My grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Latvia. They started with nothing. It was only through education that my father lifted us out of poverty. Education is a religion in Jewish families. You can’t do or be anything without education, and I think that was really drummed into me growing up.”
“My siblings and I all went to a Jewish day school in South Africa called King David School. It’s a wonderful school and my own children are now also following in my footsteps!
Taddy’s father held seven medical degrees, graduating as an influential gynaecologist. His mother has six degrees. One of his brothers is a maths professor.
He laughs: “It certainly runs in the family! In the Jewish community we understand that education is not just a career pathway. It is also a journey into refined wisdom, values and integrity.
“As Jews we grow up with Tzedakah, helping those in the community and making a difference to our fellow human beings.”
It was this powerful ethos which drove Taddy into making a remarkable decision.
Having just completed his studies as the fastest qualifying actuary in South Africa, he was set to emigrate to the USA in 1995. Instead, he changed course.
“I decided I wanted to help out in education instead. At the time I didn’t know what that meant!”
The 57-year-old has established himself as a pioneer in fostering employment through innovative educational methods, most notably ‘Consciousness-Based Education’ (CBE).
“CBE is a holistic approach to education whereby the student- as a person- matters as much as what they learn.
“From a Jewish perspective, we gain knowledge through studying Torah and deep spiritual values. CBE says that, for example, through deep meditation we can help young people to develop wisdom, find their life purpose and develop their functional cognitive intelligence.
“It truly is a gamechanger. You end up with someone who is not only a chartered accountant, but genuinely happy and has dealt with their childhood trauma.
“Our philosophy is that all these intangible human qualities come from inside a person. Therefore, if you want to achieve the impossible, you must learn the invisible.”
Taddy’s ethos also extends to Jewish schools.
“We need to modernise Jewish education. Our education needs to become more holistic and centred around the child.
“We want to create a massive human network of leaders with ethics and values who are gainfully employed and serve societal needs.”
Back home, he is the founder and CEO of the Maharishi Invincibility Institute, a multi-award-winning educational institution operating across 12 locations in five countries.
“We work exclusively with children from marginalised families, earning just 220 US dollars a month. We give them access to a university degree or our specialist industry professional academies, including insurance, banking, hospitality and mining.
“Our students pay just £8 a month and get access to all international exams, as well as lunch and clothing support.”
The Institute has educated 24,000 young unemployed South Africans, with over 21,000 securing quality jobs, and his work has impacted 600,000 school students through life-skills programmes.
“Our ultimate target is to educate 100,000 unemployed youth in South Africa.”
Taddy’s own accolades are staggering: Young Global Leader of the World; Global Leader of Tomorrow; Inc. magazine’s top 5 most influential entrepreneurs, to name but a few.
Such is his influence, Taddy even co-founded the Branson School of Entrepreneurship alongside Richard Branson.
“I am very grateful for the work I do. I could have had a stable career as an actuary but tackling difficult social problems is my great passion.
“I’ve dedicated my life to this and won’t stop.”
