Although QEF’s legal and practical life began in 2013, and its current membership includes 11 different schools within one collaborative network, its roots stretch back to a time when one of South Africa’s oldest boys’ schools (162 years old in 2021), Queen’s College, took the lead in formal discussions and plans to ensure the sustainability of their primary and high schools.
During its 150th anniversary celebrations in 2008, there was much excitement about large-scale fundraising amongst a group of inspired Queen’s College alumni and school management. They discussed the sustainability of their school and came to the conclusion that a carefully-crafted and long-term strategy was needed to make this happen. They were painfully aware that their primary and high schools needed more income to better serve their community.
First came a trust in mid 2010. Thereafter a small strategy committee was formed in 2012 which resolved to create a foundation, the Queen’s College Foundation.
However, the era of collaboration was dawning and its committee soon agreed that other schools of excellence in the town should be lobbied to join the initiative.
Therefore, after the first Annual General Meeting of the QC Foundation, both its name and the constitution of its board changed and grew to reflect the leadership of an enclave of schools situated close to each other geographically, who shared common historical context.
Thus the Queenstown Education Foundation was born in 2013, as a totally separate entity, to promote and foster a multi-school geographic centre of educational excellence. To this day, it continues to realise its vision for transforming the town into a centre of universally-recognised educational excellence through its subscribers, members, affiliates and partners, as well as friends within the community-at-large.
