About Us
Background to the establishment of the Catholic
Schools Office
With decreasing
numbers of sisters and brothers from religious congregations
teaching, or even able to have a hands-on presence, in Catholic
schools, there was a need for religious congregations to establish a
guardianship with the laity that would ensure both the preservation
of what they had built up and the continuance and development of
Catholic Education. These concerns were the impetus behind the
establishment of the Catholic Schools Board (CSB), which, after
four years of discussions, prayer, planning and meetings, was
constitued by the Regional Leaders of the Religious Congregations in
the
Gauteng
Province for the dioceses of
Pretoria
and
Johannesburg
. The first Annual General Meeting of the Catholic Schools Board was
held at
Cathedral Place
in
Johannesburg
on 2 December 2002.
At a series of
subsequent meetings during 2003, the CSB discussed with schools the
challenges ahead and sought their support in what they were seeking
to put in place for the future benefit of Catholic Education.
Schools were asked to give financial support for a Catholic Schools
Office which would be an amalgamation of the existing structures
(the Catholic Education Council (CCE) in Pretoria and the
Johannesburg Catholic Schools Council (JOCASCO) in Johannesburg) and
be the “operational arm” of the Catholic Schools Board. This was
not easy for some schools who were engaged in their own struggles
for survival. Other schools, who were already paying heavy
membership dues to other schools’ associations, raised questions
about what the Catholic Schools Board and Catholic Schools Office
would offer them.
With acknowledgement
and understanding of what was at stake - the continued existence of
all Catholic schools nationally, and the guardianship of their
distinctive ethos and identity - doubts were put aside and schools
accepted the challenges ahead by giving their wholehearted support
to the Catholic Schools Board. Provision was made for the execution
of the CSB’s decisions by establishing the Catholic Schools Office
(CSO).
Premises were
obtained for the Catholic Schools Office and staff was recruited.
The office opened for business in January 2004.
What we do
The Catholic
Schools Office of the Archdiocese of Pretoria and the Diocese of
Johannesburg serves the interests of Catholic Education. We carry
out the directives of the Catholic Schools Boards in our member
schools.
In
nurturing
the well-being of our member schools, we are guided by the Vision and
Direction Statements of the Second National Catholic Schools
Congress.
Our main
concerns for our member schools are:
n
that
their Catholic ethos and identity flourishes,
n
that
they deliver quality education,
n
that
their ongoing financial viability is ensured.
To
assist schools in these endeavours, the CSO offers various support
services and employs five full-time staff and a part-time secretary. The Catholic Schools
Office operates from an office located in The Haven building at
St Vincent
School
for the Deaf in
Melrose, Johannesburg, and a satellite office in Jolivet House, the archdiocesan chancery
in Pretoria
.
Unity and collaboration
among Catholic schools
We also seek
to promote unity of vision and collaboration among Catholic Schools.
One of the means for achieving this is the Catholic Schools
Councils (CSC) and their various groupings.
Representation
We
represent Catholic schools on various bodies:
n
within
the Church, we network with the owners of the schools through CaSPA
and the Catholic Schools Boards, and liaise with our bishops through
their diocesan Heads of Department Meetings
n
in
the broader education sector, we contribute
to Catholic perspectives within the
national educational debate; we co-operate with other bodies to promote quality education in
South Africa; we make joint
representation with other educational bodies to the provincial
education authorities, and monitor national and provincial
legislation which affects Catholic schools
