Any successful project begins with a great idea; about four years ago the University of the Free State appointed a new vice chancellor, Professor Jonathan Jansen who has a passion for education. Professor Jansen decided that the university should become involved in schools and the school partnership project was born. It is acknowledged that the need for educational improvement in South African is great and one feels guilty if you cannot help everybody in all schools. However, this project tries not to ‘spread the butter too thin’.

It focuses all its resources into small numbers of selected schools. It works from the approach that by creating centres of excellence they will encourage other schools to follow. It is an expensive model if it all ends with the selected schools, but the plan is that as soon as these schools start changing from good to great, they will be able to assist surrounding schools.