Inanda Seminary 2008 Report

I have great pleasure in enclosing a general update on the Inanda Seminary as well as a report on how some of the special donations given to the Seminary have been used.

Governance:

The Board now stands at 11 members – four of whom are Old Girls of the Seminary.  At the last meeting an amendment to the Constitution was passed decreasing the size of the Board so no further appointments have been made following resignations. The Constitution now calls for the Board of Governors to be constituted of up to a maximum of five past pupils, one denominational representative appointed by the UCCSA, two Regional representatives, appointed by the KwaZulu-Natal Regional Council (UCCSA), the serving Head, the serving Chaplain, the serving Bursar, and two community members.

A Strategic Planning Workshop was held in August 2007 as agreed upon for annual Strategic Planning. We have continued as agreed in the 2005 Strategic Planning with a period of consolidation and improvement in the quality of our offering to our members but have also had to reconsider minor expansion in order to accommodate our increased enrollment.

Enrollment:

Enrollment for 2007 ended at 323 due to students leaving under different domestic circumstances – largely financial. Enrollment for 2008 began at 354 but is currently 350.

We currently have 41 students with subsidized fees. In total these represent 11.74 percent of our student body. There are other students with independent funders/donors.

It has been decided that the Seminary will not offer grade seven in 2009, as the classrooms currently used for grade seven are needed for our grade eight classes. Our projected enrollment for 2009 is 370 students. 

Staff Matters:

Six staff left between July 2007 and the first quarter of 2008. Five new staff and five interns began work at Inanda. Our full staff complement is 45, three of whom are part time. Twenty-four staff members are academic teachers, seven are administrative, eight serve as Hostel support staff, and six work as grounds crew.

This year our invited guest speaker during our three-day professional development and planning in January covered the issues of evolution as required through the National Curriculum Statement with special emphasis on the approach of a Christian school. Staff development workshops are held each term through the year – some of the important workshops were legal aspects of disciplinary hearings, Myers Briggs personality test,m strengths assessment, and a computer workshop.

All teachers have attended workshops for the new curriculum requirements.  Several teachers have registered to study further to improve their qualifications and the Seminary has assisted in the tuition costs involved.

Student Matters:

The Seminary participates in eThekwini sporting leagues for netball, softball, action netball, athletics, cross country, karate, and touch rugby. The competition is keen and we have done extremely well.  2007 saw the introduction of an inter-house sports week where house teams competed in all sporting disciplines culminating in the whole-school cross country. It was very successful. At the end of the year a special assembly was held giving awards to members who had excelled in this arena.

A new approach was implemented regarding outreach, where each class adopted its own project and worked independently on this. At the same time the school maintained its relationship and support for the existing projects of Asivuke, Abalindi Orphanage and Old Age Home. The initiative shown and effort expended in these projects has been heartening.

One of our grade ten students was invited to a conference in Florida during September 2007.  She represented our school at the conference “Black Leaders of Tomorrow.” She was hosted for an additional week after the conference by the families of Chaplain Reverend Valiquette, and was able to visit several of the churches who support us through Global Ministries.    

Academically, 100 percent passed with an endorsement rate of 73.44 percent. Inanda received several awards both from the Mayor of eThekwini and the KZN Education Department. Inanda was the top school in its Ward and Circuit. The Public Speaking team went to the semi-finals with their topic “Peer Pressure.”

Grounds Maintenance and Campus Matters:

We have begun the rebuilding of Edwards Hall. The refurbishment commenced in early June and the projected completion date is October this year.  We will officially reopen this building on the school’s 140th birthday in March 2009.

We have a painter on contract working around the property repainting and repairing our largest buildings. The improvements are pleasing.  Seemingly, this task needs to be undertaken every seven years.

Administrative and Financial Matters:

The audited financials for 2007 have been received.  These show the school in a sound financial position. 

We have been informed that the value of the subsidy to Independent schools is under threat. There are several new emerging independent schools that meet the requirements for a subsidy but there is no confirmed increase in the total distributed.  This means that the amount which we receive could be diminished as it is spread wider to accommodate the new schools. This will have a large impact on our budget and school fees in the future.

We continue to be very grateful for the donations that come to the school from Global Ministries and in particular for the work of Reverend Susan Valiquette. The continued US support of missionaries enables us to improve our offering in areas where there is no budget. Donations funded the following: Outreach (soup kitchen, gas, SMILE literacy program, Abalindi Old Age home, visiting), ministry costs (Couper/Valiquette),  student counseling, psychologists, medical and health care, classroom fans, computers plus software, installation of wireless network, installation of data projectors and screens, and worship videos and CDs.

I wish to thank everyone at Global Ministries and the United Church of Christ as well as all the churches that support us through Global Ministries, and the friends and family of Reverend Susan Valiquette who contribute towards ministry at the Inanda Seminary so faithfully and generously each year. The monies donated have indeed changed the face of our offering here at the Seminary. We are able to offer opportunities to students, as well as improvements to our equipment and infrastructure which would otherwise not be possible.

I am proud to continue to serve the Inanda Seminary as Head. It is a school which has much honor associated with it and is a visible example to all of God’s faithfulness.

Judy Tate
Head of Inanda Seminary