Annual report

REPORT BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

It is a great privilege for me to lead the Historic Schools Restoration Project (HSRP). From early in 2006 when Dr Z Pallo Jordan approached me about the restoration of South African schools of historical significance, I felt a tremendous enthusiasm for the project. As Anglican Bishop of Kimberley and Kuruman I was involved in the initial restoration of Tiger Kloof Educational Institution in what is now the North West Province. Our achievements there have been extremely satisfying, with Tiger Kloof being a wonderful example of the way in which a school can regain its dignity and educational rigour in the wake of the devastation of the Bantu Education Act.

Part of Dr Jordan’s inspiration came from the celebration of the bicentennial of the African prophet Ntsikana, who received a vision from God and, in following this vision, was instrumental in promoting literacy among the AmaXhosa. His teaching in the Eastern Cape prepared the ground for the involvement of missionaries and the building of mission schools that became the principal bearers of modern education among Africans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Sadly, the introduction of Bantu Education in 1953 put an end to this development, while placing an enormous burden on those schools that managed to keep their doors open. Since 1994 a number of the former mission schools as well as other schools that played a significant role in the struggle for democracy have started the long journey to institutional recovery and educational excellence – with some having produced encouraging matriculation results in recent years. There are also schools that continue to struggle for survival and are kept going only through the dedication of principals and staff who work with crumbling infrastructures and a vast lack of resources.

The restoration of these institutions is an enormous challenge. There are more than 50 schools that qualify as schools of historical importance in South Africa, and we have committed ourselves to the restoration of six of these schools in the first phase of the development proces: Adams College, Healdtown, Inanda Seminary, Lemana, St Matthew’s and Tiger Kloof. Our goal and overarching vision is to restore these schools into ‘sustainable and aspirational African institutions of educational and cultural excellence’.

INITIAL DEVELOPMENTS

During 2006 and 2007 – my final years as Archbishop of Cape Town – I held a series of consultations and meetings with a number of people who had an interest in the restoration of schools and expertise in educational and related fields. It was then that the Department of Arts and Culture undertook to fund the initial administration of the project, and we are assured of this funding until the end of March 2011. The Department of Education joined the initiative and commissioned initial profiles of 12 historic schools as a starting point. The Department of Science and Technology has also pledged its support to the project.

A Section 21 company was created, a temporary office set up and a Board appointed. I began a succession of visits to some of the identified schools to brief them and their communities on the HSRP. I met with provincial premiers and their cabinets as well as other stakeholders around the country. These visits and meetings continue as the project proceeds.

Workshops were held with the Board and various specialists to identify strategic objectives and to plan progress. Members of the HSRP Reference Group and, in particular, the Content Development Group have been generous with their time and expertise.

Initial consultations were held with the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) – as many of the schools have listed buildings – and specialist architects to discuss the physical restoration of the schools’ infrastructures. We recognise the importance of preserving them, while ensuring they meet present educational needs and challenges.

In September 2007, the HSRP moved to its premises in Tokai, Cape Town. In November the HSRP was officially launched at Adams College – the first secondary school to have a black principal – in KwaZulu- Natal. Shortly thereafter the project received endorsement by the South African National Cabinet. In December 2007 Dr Charles Villa-Vicencio was appointed as a consultant to oversee an in-depth needs assessment and audit process of six ‘pilot’ schools and to assist me in other aspects of the project.

FURTHER PROGRESS

KPMG offered its services for an audit of these schools pro bono. This audit was undertaken during March 2008 at each of the six schools. A synopsis of this audit appears on page 10 of this report. The Independent Quality Assurance Agency (IQAA), in turn, undertook an educational content-based audit of five of the schools. Ohlange High School in KZN was unfortunately facing significant problems on the campus and I decided it prudent not to include them in the project until such time as these issues were adequately dealt with. This resulted in Inanda Seminary, also in KZN, being included in the initial phase of the project, together with Healdtown Comprehensive School and St Matthew’s High School in the Eastern Cape, Adams College in KZN, Lemana High School in Limpopo and Tiger Kloof Educational Institution in the North West.

I take this opportunity to express my appreciation to President Thabo Mbeki, who has given support to every phase of the project. He was not able to attend the November 2007 HSRP launch at Adams College, but did attend the subsequent public event at Healdtown School in May 2008 that introduced the project to the Eastern Cape community and marked the start of a focused fund-raising drive.

In June and July an architectural team, together with a quantity surveyor, visited each of the six pilot schools to begin a process of identifying and costing improvements and additions to physical infrastructure. A report has been submitted and budgets are being drawn up.

We have, during the course of 2008, continued discussions about the possible introduction of a ‘third tier’ of schools into South Africa’s educational system. These discussions were part of our thinking from the start of the project and we are currently investigating a school model that allows for greater autonomy in school governance while being funded on the same basis as public schools. The Department of Education is being kept informed of this process.

FUNDRAISING

We cannot proceed beyond a certain point without a significant injection of funds. The good news is that we were granted full Public Benefit Organisation status this year which means that all financial donations to the HSRP are tax-deductible. We are delighted that, in addition to the financial support for administration which we enjoy from the national Department of Arts and Culture, other organisations have already made contributions to the project. There was a tremendously encouraging start to our fundraising efforts with a generous donation of R6 million from the South African Reserve Bank and an additional R100,000.00 from the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation. KPMG and others have been extremely generous with resources. We are most grateful to them. Without their support we would not have been able to make the progress we have.

At the time of writing, two fundraising events are planned to introduce the project to the business community: the first in August, just prior to the AGM, kindly hosted by Investec in Cape Town, and a second in October, in Gauteng.

It is obvious that we shall also be dependent on the goodwill and contributions from the alumni of historic schools, and we are presently facilitating communication between the HSRP and as many individuals and alumni organisations as possible. They are being approached with the help of a staff member seconded to the HSRP from the Department of Education.

CONCLUSION

From the start, I have been greatly encouraged by the response from people in government, civil society, the media, the private sector and faith communities – both in South Africa and overseas. This seems to be the kind of project that strikes a chord in the hearts of many people, perhaps because it promotes education. We are all aware, as the Chinese proverb states, that ‘Education is a treasure that a thief cannot touch’. We love our children and we want them and their children to have the best possible chance of living as happy and productive citizens in a successful democracy. It is also clear that the economic and political future of this country cannot happen without the long slow march through education and skills training. This is why this project needs the support of every South African and those from other countries who have accompanied us as we continue to build our democracy.

I pledge to lead this project in a way that ensures its success, quality control and excellence in teaching, learning and leadership.

Njongo Ndungane
Executive Director