MP, at the 140 birthday celebrations of the Inanda Seminary, Durban.
7 March 2009
Deputy President Mbete
Chairperson and Members of the Board of Governors of Inanda Seminary
Old girls of Inanda Seminary
The Headmistress, Ms Jat Tate and staff
Parents, learners and members of the community of Inanda
Distinguished guests
I am honoured and delighted to be part of this significant occasion.
Occasions of this nature help to remind us of the long tradition of educational
excellence in KwaZulu-Natal. Congratulations to Inanda Seminary and all those
associated with this great institution for its contribution to the education of
so many young women over its long history.
From its early beginnings and facing many adversities, the school survived
and triumphed over attempts to destroy it. It even survived apartheid.
Inanda entered in the twenty-first century well placed to continue to promote
academic excellence in an environment of positive values. Therefore, it is
fitting to pay tribute to the founders of Inanda Seminary, Reverend Daniel
Lindley and his wife Lucy.
Little did they know what an excellent school they were starting when they
opened the gates of Inanda Seminary boarding school in 1869. The aim was to
provide young women with opportunities through education. While the context has
changed and the expectations of young women have definitely changed, the school
has continued to provide opportunities to girls and to give them the chance to
shine where you are.
Inanda Seminary is renowned for teaching young women how to be
leaders.
I am told that over 8 000 young women have passed through the gates of this
institution and many of them have gone on to great things.
On this anniversary day, it is useful to reflect and remind ourselves of what
has made Inanda great. In a few words: commitment to excellence. For education,
and indeed education institutions to succeed, they need commitment the kind of
commitment that is exhibited so clearly at Inanda. I am referring to the shared
commitment that exists between all role players and stakeholders in the
institution.
Moreover, the early and current history of Inanda Seminary shows that little
can be achieved in education without partnerships. Inanda Seminary is a product
of partnerships between the church, as represented by the United Congregational
Church of Southern Africa, government, teachers, the private sector, parents,
learners and a vibrant alumni association which continues to marshal the
efforts of the old and not so old girls for the progressive development of
Inanda Seminary.
I congratulate the school community for working so hard to raise a loan from
the Development Bank of Southern Africa to rebuild the Edwards Hall that will
be reopened today as a fitting memory to a dedicated educator. I should also
like to recognise the service to education of Mr Dumi Cecil Zondi who was not
only the first South African but also the first black male to head the
institution.
I am told that Mr Zondi is still in service at the school as the archivist.
Only now at venerable age of eighty will he be allowed to retire. Mr Zondi is
an outstanding, dedicated educator and friend of the institution.
It is heartening to note how full the academic calendar of Inanda Seminary is,
and to see how Inanda recognises our history and those who sacrificed so much
to bring about democracy. I am pleased to see how much importance the school
places on environmental awareness.
I have noted the school's suggestion for gifts to the Seminary to honour the
140th anniversary! Even some of those are environmentally friendly! I am of
course referring to the recycled plastic benches. I trust that many will be
purchased. Over the years, I have met many Inanda Girls. One of the things that
I have found remarkable is the strong bonds that link former students
together.
Inanda was, and I hope remains, a meeting ground for girls of all
backgrounds from many parts of the country. Through their years together at
Inanda they have forged friendships and loyalties to each other and the school.
In closing, I want to say something about the future. The school was saved
through the intervention of the alumni they used their initiative and
resourcefulness and powers of persuasion to get the United Congregational
Church of South Africa to take over the running of the school.
They then generated financial support through the assistance of former
President Mandela who was able to secure funding from South African Paper and
Pulp Industry (Sappi) to renovate the buildings and establish a maintenance
trust.
Their example led other alumni to continue to support the school.
Moreover, the school is now part of the Historic Schools Restoration Project.
It is part of the pilot project involving six schools: Adams College,
Healdtown, Inanda Seminary, Lemana, St Matthews and Tiger Kloof. The Historic
Schools Restoration Project aims to foster African leadership and to transform
the 50 or so schools under its remit into institutions of educational and
cultural excellence.
It aims to foster excellence in teaching and learning. It aims to encourage
ownership of the project by school communities. And it aims to forge
partnerships between the schools, the Historic Schools Restoration Project
(HSRP), government, non-governmental organisation (NGOs), churches and business
institutions. It aims to promote African culture, language and values, to build
moral character and leadership skills, to develop strategies for financial
sustainability and ensure that schools develop sound institutional leadership
and management.
While the initial focus is on raising funds for infrastructure, it is a
legacy project. One of the characteristics of legacy projects is that they look
to the future. So the historic schools project is not only about recovering
what was lost. It is also about building something new for the future.
And the novelty will lie in the model of finance and governance that it
pioneers.
Finance is a major issue for all schools, whether they are public or
independent like Inanda. Independent schools that qualify for a state subsidy
are allocated a subsidy level based on the ratio of fees charged by the school
to the average provincial expenditure per learner.
The balance for operational costs in both public and independent schools is
raised from donors, fees and other income-generating activities.
The case has been put to us that the level of independent-schools subsidy, even
at the highest level of 60 percent, is too low.
This is particularly the case for independent schools serving poor
communities that have poor facilities and limited access to private sources of
funding to finance infrastructure development. The department is exploring the
development of new models that will allow for sustainable support to schools
such as this one.
Happy 140th birthday to Inanda Seminary.
Issued by: Department of Education
7 March 2009
Source: Department of Education (http://www.education.gov.za/)
