In 2001 when my parents applied for me to get a bursary to Bridge House in the Western Cape, it was because they felt it was necessary that I be educated in English. In South Africa, the need for children to become multilingual is now more urgent than ever. However, at Bridge House, I received much more than just an English education.
The bursary initiatives by the school and other stakeholders, have saved many students from the certainty of overcrowded and under-funded schools. Welcoming into independent schooling individuals who would otherwise not be able to afford such an education, could in many cases positively impact the trajectory of a young person’s future.
At Bridge House I had the opportunity to go on international exchange. My idea of the world changed, it became bigger. I made friends from other parts of the world, and realised that the world is my oyster and it is waiting for me to claim it.
In a country with such huge economic divides, we should not forget that our education and privilege could often put us at odds with much of the country and we should guard against being viewed as ‘those schools on the hill’.
The ability of many independent schools to adapt to online learning during the pandemic, when a great number of South African children in other education institutions lost out on important learning time, is testimony to that. As we remain on the cutting edge of quality education, we should also continue to push for the kind of transformation that our country needs, the kind that reflects the society that we live in.
A few years ago I contacted Bridge House to enquire who exactly funded my bursary, and I was informed that it was not funded by an individual donor, but by a number of fundraising initiatives held by Control Instruments, a company headed by one of the school’s founders, Richard Friedman, who passed away on 12 September this year. With this short message I wish to thank him and the other funders for the opportunity they gave me and so many others:
With this message, I wish to extend a sincere thanks to you for granting me the opportunity to receive the best schooling in the country. My education at Bridge House extended to me far more than excellent academic preparation. It has put me in touch with the world.
My time spent at the school exposed me to a world that might have remained alien to me, had you not felt it necessary to allow me such exposure. This part of my education, in the ‘other’ South Africa, has allowed me to understand our country better and will aid me in my endeavours to contribute to building a better South Africa. You will never understand what Bridge House and, in particular, your generosity has meant to me.
Ephraim Gordon is a founding member of Nagvlug Films, a young comepany responsible for some of our most awarded local content. One of the films Gordon co-wrote and produced is Barakat, selected as South Africa’s entry to the 94th Academy Awards.