About LEAP

Learning with Equity and Access Project is more than an initiative—it’s a movement toward educational justice and meaningful student collaboration.

💡 Our Mission

To create a sustainable, student-driven model that bridges the gap between private and public school students, fostering mutual understanding, shared experiences, and collaborative learning that transcends socioeconomic boundaries.

Understanding the Divide

Private Schools

  • Advanced resources and technology
  • Smaller class size
  • Access to extracurricular programs
  • Higher per-student spending

Public Schools

  • Limited resources and funding
  • Larger class size
  • Strong community connections
  • More diverse student population

Our Vision & Objectives

Four core principles guide everything we do at LEAP

Equity

Equal access to opportunity, regardless of school type.

Student Leadership

Students leading change in their schools and communities.

Community Collaboration

Working together across boundaries.

Lifelong Learning

Fostering empathy, leadership, and innovation.

Key Components

Four pillars that make LEAP a comprehensive solution

🎓 Ambassador Program

Student leaders driving change in their school and communities

💻 Digital Platform

Online space for collaboration, learning, and friendship

🌍 Community Projects

Real-world impact through collaborative student initiatives

🧰 Teacher Toolbox

Resources for educators to promote inclusive practices

WHAT WE DO

Inequity is perhaps the most serious problem in education worldwide. It has multiple causes, and its consequences include differences in access to schooling, retention, and, more importantly, learning. Educational equity means making sure every student, no matter their race, pin code, family income, or ability, gets what they need to learn, grow, and succeed.

Facts

251 million children and youth worldwide are out of school

Only 14% of low-income students score at or above proficient in reading, compared to 44% of their high-income peers.

Students in high-poverty schools are four times more likely to be taught by out-of-field or uncertified teachers than those in low-poverty schools.

In rural and low-income areas, transportation barriers—like long bus routes or lack of public transit—can limit access to quality schools and after-school programs. Source: UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report

SAMARA CHAUHAN

At 16, Samara Chauhan envisions an India where public school students have equal access to the opportunities and resources available in private schools, creating a world of personal and professional growth for all.

In her words, “It’s not about giving everyone the same, but about meeting each child where they are and lifting them up.”

This goal inspired her to launch the Learning with Equity and Access Program (LEAP), which aims to bridge the educational divide by providing accessibility in learning through resources, educational games, forum discussions, study tips, interactions, and community projects.

The platform brings together students from all walks of life to interact and communicate, bridging the educational disparity and opening up learning opportunities regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds.

Samara has published a research article titled “Competency assessment of High school students: A Comparative Study of Public and Private Schools of Delhi-NCR”, which examines data from 500 students from private schools and Government schools from Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, and Faridabad, along with 100 parents and teachers. The article intended to compare the impact of these competencies on the high school students of public schools and private schools in Delhi-NCR.

She regularly visits government schools across the country and interacts with students first-hand to get a closer understanding of their needs and challenges.

Her ambitions were further bolstered during an internship with NITI Aayog, where she was introduced to the concept of Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs), which have been established in Indian schools with the goal of cultivating ‘one million neoteric innovators’, or young people who are curious, creative, and imaginative, and have learned skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, and adaptive learning.

Through education equity programs in collaboration with ATL Sarthi, Samara and her team have brought together public and private school students, enabling over 5,000 learners and teachers to collaborate across socio-economic divides.

Research Published

“Competency assessment of High school students: A Comparative Study of Public and Private Schools of Delhi-NCR”, IJSDR – International Journal of Scientific Development and Research (www.IJSDR.org), ISSN:2455-2631, Vol.10, Issue 6, page no.b850-b864, June-2025,
Available :https://ijsdr.org/papers/IJSDR2506201.pdf
This study was conducted to assess the competencies of high school students in the Delhi-NCR region. It draws on data from 500 students across private and government schools in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, and Faridabad, as well as inputs from 100 parents and teachers. The objective was to compare how these competencies manifest among students in public versus private schools. Data was collected using a stratified purposive sampling technique involving students, parents, and teachers.
Among the four skills that impact the Perceived Changed Behaviour, the knowledge skills are the most significant. The outcome of the research will provide some important insights for the school authorities and policymakers in understanding the gaps in their teaching pedagogy and in developing suitable methods to reduce the gap between expected competencies and actual ones. Specifically, making the students industry-ready to meet the challenges of the industry.

AWARDS & MEDIA

🎓 School Leadership

Middle School: 8th Grade (President of the Student Body)
Senior School: 11th Additional Secretary General & All-Rounder Awards – 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th grades.

🥇 Major Awards & Competitions

 National Humanitarian Excellence Award 2025
The Humanitarian Excellence Award (HEA) 2025 is one of India’s most prestigious national honours, celebrating individuals and organizations that have made exceptional contributions in the fields of social service, humanitarian work, and community impact.
Out of hundreds of nominees nationwide, five individuals and one NGO/organization from each state were selected for the award, presented at a grand ceremony in New Delhi, attended by dignitaries, celebrities, and media.

Samara Chauhan receiving the medal and trophy at the award ceremony in 2025
Pramerica Award, 2023
Pramerica Emerging Visionaries is a national recognition program that awards student volunteers for their innovative solutions in their communities. Samara and her team won for their work on food wastage.
First Prize in Youth Power Competition, 2024

🎤 Extracurricular Activities, Awards & Leadership

A Capella Group, Founder – Started an a capella group “Syncopation” from scratch, to popularise one of the oldest forms of music in India. Auditioned and recruited the initial group members, organising various performances, while actively raising funds for the education of underprivileged girl children.
Wharton Investment global challenge, Team Leader
F1 in Schools, Team Leader
World’s largest STEM challenge where students aged 9-19 design, create, and manufacture their car along with different aspects such as marketing, pit display, and enterprise portfolios

‘Best Project Management’ Award in global competition, Singapore 2023
Competed in multiple rounds at regional and national levels, making it to the world finals in Singapore with 68 best teams from all over the world and won the project management award sponsored by PMO, as team leader and design engineer, and coordinated all aspects of the project, ensuring sustainability of the project and design.
Model United Nations
Oxford University Model United Nations, Delegate of Japan, 2022 Participated in the Oxford MUN with delegations from all over the world. Samara represented JAPAN In ECOSOC (UN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL)
YRONS In Germany ( Young researchers of Natural sciences), Team Leader, 2023
This was a science conference with students from all around the world, where Samara’s team chose ‘sustainability’ as their theme and named their project ‘SRIJANA’, which means ‘Creation for the betterment of Mankind’
NASA SPACE SET
A competition organised by NASA in which teams of 11 members competed to make a settlement on the moon using the RFP received. Owing to her contributions in the Human factors department, their team made it to the national round.
CSIR (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research) Competition
A science competition held by the government of India in which Samara presented a project called ‘MedAir’, which helped transport medical equipment during disasters and medical crises.
Atal Tinkering Labs , Special Mention
Took part in the ATL fest organised by the government, for her project ‘MedAir’
Intra-school competitions – Ignited Spirits – acting competition (first place), Science colloquium – science competition (first place), Dhananjay Mohan Cup – acting competition (first place), Heritage quizzes, Directors Cut – acting competition (special mention), Ramanujan – Math competition (1st place)

📰 Media Coverage

News Clippings:

The Indian Express/ 21st July 2025/ New Delhi/ Page -04 /Quote of Ms. Samaya and Ms. Samara Chauhan, students of Class XII, Amity International School Pushp Vihar, on their Anti-Bullying Campaign.
Online Coverage Mentions: