School Partners
Get Ahead Project School Partners

Leacock’s involvement with the Get Ahead Project School began when Leacock President, Peter Oliver, met Nelson Mandela in Toronto in 2002. Mr. Mandela was being feted after receiving an honourary degree from Ryerson University. For Peter, a successful South African-Canadian, meeting this inspirational world leader cemented his commitment to create an enduring model for investment in South African education.

The search for the right school led Peter to the front doors of the Get Ahead Project School in Queenstown, in the Eastern Cape. He was immediately impressed by the high calibre of education students were receiving at this independent school for black township students. He learned that a significant wait list existed and that its most pressing barrier to educating more children was its lack of classrooms, related facilities and educational supports. Leacock’s support of the school started immediately and since 2002, significant investments have been made to the GAP School for capital improvements to existing school facilities, to erect new school buildings and address specific non-capital needs. Other supports include:

• Tuition sponsorship for 47 of its neediest students ($950/student) from Canadian families. Download this PDF document for more information about this progam.
  
• Housing for six Canadian teacher volunteers who provide added teaching support and professional development ($30,000/year)
  
• An intensive study program for Gr. 12 students prior to writing their matriculation exams ($25,000/year)
  
• A guidance counsellor for social/emotional support and postsecondary counselling ($20,000/year)

The Get Ahead Project School is an educational oasis in the Eastern Cape. According to a local public school official “it gives hope to the learners” in a way that public education cannot. In fact, the GAP School, studied for its success, is seen as the ideal model for the public education system. There are many reasons why GAP is so successful:

• In the absence of strong parental support, GAP creates stability for learners where they are valued, accepted and loved
• Essential life skills not taught at home are introduced at school
• Children are taught to respect the rights of others, good manners and the art of giving
• The high pass rate at GAP is testimony that quality education can be affordable
• Students graduate fluent in English
• According to Hugh Wormald, Chairman of the GAP Trustees, “Parents give up everything to send their children to GAP. They will move heaven and earth to pay school fees.”
  

History of the Get Ahead Project (GAP) School
The Get Ahead Project (GAP) School, an independent school, meets the needs of children from townships surrounding Queenstown and Whittlesea, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. In 1992, a group of black parents, frustrated by unsuccessful attempts to enroll their children into the better, English-speaking state schools, took matters into their own hands and the GAP School was founded. Originally meant to be an independent “bridging” school to prepare children for admission into state schools, it has blossomed into a K-12 school.

Since 2002, seven major facility upgrades have been completed with funding from the Leacock Foundation to address its wait lists. Enrolment has quadrupled to 1,200 students now on three campuses. There is still a wait list. The GAP School is infused with a positive spirit, offering township families an affordable education. Xhosa-speaking children arrive at school unable to speak English so the school helps them to become proficient in English and Afrikaans. The school follows the national curriculum and children are taught life orientation, AIDS prevention and environmental awareness. It is 100% self-sustaining, operating with tuition paid by parents or guardians who make large sacrifices to pay school fees. Government subsidies are sporadic and minimal. Its facilities are modest but cheerful, organized and safe; half the students enrolled are girls and 47 of them are sponsored by Canadian families.