11

Education: The epicentre Education: The epicentre our Social fabric.our Social fabric.

Now that Christian Education is Now that Christian Education is important but expensive, what important but expensive, what

then?then?

From the desk of the Education Secretary

22

Executive summaryExecutive summary

Departmental vision

We aspire to be an Adventist family which is vibrant and balanced physically, mentally, spiritually, morally, vocationally, and socially, with God as the source of all moral values and virtue.

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Departmental missionDepartmental mission

As a department, our mission is to produce a church membership which has a solid grounding in Adventist doctrine and philosophy as guided by unshakable biblical teachings which prepare each individual for a truly Christian life irregardless of circumstance or surrounding.

44

Departmental objectivesDepartmental objectives

1. To raise the awareness and the importance of Adventist education.

2. To produce a membership pool from which a leadership team can be assembled with ease and confidence.

3. To develop skills and competences necessary in the life of a truly Christian individual.

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In support of our vision, mission, In support of our vision, mission, and the objectives.and the objectives.

1. Establish an Adventist pre-school.

2. Establish a student support programme.

3. Open an Adventist book-cum-library shop.

4. Send Adventist teachers on mission.

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Part IPart I

• Do we really Know where we are headed

?

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Alice’s Adventures in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.Wonderland.

Alice: “Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?”Cheshire cat: “It depends a great deal on were you want to get.”Alice: “I don’t much care where, so long as I get somewhere.”Cheshire cat: “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go, as long as you walk long enough.”Alice: “What sort of people live here?”Cheshire cat: In that direction lives a hatter and in that direction lives a Hare. You can visit either you like: they are both mad.”

.

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Dealing with the Wonderland Dealing with the Wonderland Scenario.Scenario.

Establish a destination before you set on a journey.

Know yourself.

Know what you want.

Set your self realistic goals.

Mobilise necessary resources.

Journal down your progress.

Note down your achievements and failures.

Stay focused.

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What’s on the Menu?What’s on the Menu?

Eat for a healthy body, mind, and spirit.Junk food is not only confined to what we take into our physical bodies.

Our intellectual bodies have been victims of junk food which has caused immeasurable damage. All this without many of us noticing.

Our spiritual bodies have suffered irreparable damage because of the junk we feed on.

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Part IIPart II

Why so much confusion

?

1111

At The ‘Y’ JunctionAt The ‘Y’ Junction

Doesn’t this kind of a scenario cause serious headaches for most of us?

We must not burry our heads in the sand and pretend as though everything is fine.

Oooosh!

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The Way to Go.The Way to Go.

Where do you want to be, and the art of getting there.

Choice of subjects and subject mix.

Course of study.

Which institution to study through?

Full-time, part-time or the distance route?

Financial arrangements.

Career pathing and choice of industry.

Establishing a stable career.

1313

Climbing the ladder.Climbing the ladder.

In between

CIS 2007

Bcom Financial Man 2010

Bcom Honours

Financial Modeling

CFA

?

2012

2015

?

}It is my sincere hope and prayer that somewhere along the line I will still have a chance to take a Sabbatical to go and teach English in South Korea for 6 moths, a year or even three.

From one rung to the next!

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Diffusing the confusion.Diffusing the confusion.

Reclaiming lost ground.

Seek wise counsel.

Gather as much needed information as possible.

Take your time to reflect.

Know your strengths and weaknesses.

It’s never too late or too early.

The right time is now.

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Part IIIPart III

The dilemma of child upbringing.

Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. (Luke 18:16)

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Children: our gifts from God.Children: our gifts from God.

Behold, children are a gift from the lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward.(Psalm127:3 NASB)

Contrary to the above verse, the world today is a hostile, toxic environment for children.As children grow, they are influenced by the things they see and the conditions in which they live.Their values are shaped by their experiences and the perspectives of the parents.

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A good foundation.A good foundation.

Teach them while they are still young.As a foundation, teach your children God’s laws, these laws provide a moral compass to guide their conduct for the rest of their lives.Children must be taught diligently.Teaching must be a regular practice, every day practice so that it becomes a way of life.This manner of practice will surely avoid the situation of us being Sabbatarians only on Sabbath and keep our children in a healthy state.

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The day-care dilemma.The day-care dilemma.

Can we really bank on secular day-care facilities?

Is the facility properly registered?

Have you considered health and safety issues?

Have you considered issues of food nutrition?

What about discipline and moral standards?

Are the care-givers qualified for the job?

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High quality care.High quality care.

How are high standards to be achieved.Parent Involvement – As a parent you are a key to quality child care.Teacher-child Ratios – To maintain high quality care, a number of children cared for by an adult should be capped.Training & Experience – teachers and care givers must be experienced and should receive on-going training in areas of safety, nutrition, and child abuse prevention.

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Part IVPart IV

Building blocks for an educated congregation, and indeed an educated society.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. (Proverbs 1:7)

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Dealing with the issue of too few Dealing with the issue of too few Adventist Institutions.Adventist Institutions.

Adventist institutions are a must.Established by Adventists.Run by Adventists.For the benefit of the community at large.

•Establish your very own institutions.

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What about the issue of high What about the issue of high expense?expense?

Top dollar Institutions.

Quality is always enjoyed at a price.Supply and demand dynamics.Availability of substitute products and services.Value for money/return on investment.Value placed on the result.

2323

Where do we begin?Where do we begin?

Establishing an Adventist pre-school is the most fundamental starting point.

It could well be aptly named ‘SDA Adventurer Institute’.

To be open to the public at largeNumbers to be capped to maintain high

standards.

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Is undertaking such a project Is undertaking such a project pretty-much difficult?pretty-much difficult?

May-be. But with a concerted effort, this can surely be done.

As a member of this congregation, what role can you play, contribution can you make to make this kind of an important project come to fruition.

We surely are banking on each one of you.

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Adding-up the numbers.Adding-up the numbers.

Projected Capital outlay.

Refurbishment R2,000.00

Equipment R1,500.00

Materials R1,800.00

Total Capital Expenditure R5,300.00

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Do the numbers add-up?Do the numbers add-up?

Projected operating expenses.

Rent R 4,000.00

Utilities R 700.00

Salaries & wages R10,500.00

sundries R 1,600.00

Total monthly expenses R16,800.00

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Balancing the scales.Balancing the scales.

Do the scales balance?

Age group Number of children Fee

0-0.5 years 10 R400.00

0.5-2.5 years 40 R300.00

2.5-5 years 30 R200.00

Mean (average) R300.00

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Power in numbers.Power in numbers.Or is it a zero sum game

Breaking down the numbersVariable Cost R160.00 per child

Fixed Cost R4,000.00 per month

Expected billings 80 children

Fees R300.00 per child

Total Turnover R24,000.00

Total Variable Costs R12,800.00

Profit R7,200.00

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Breaking even.Breaking even.

Can such a project be worth the cost?12000

10000

8000

6000

4000

2000

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

A

C

A

B

Number of Children

T

U

R

N

O

V

E

R

Loss

Profit

A Turnover

B Total cost

C Break-even

D Fixed cost

D

.

3030

Where to from here?Where to from here?

Or we are still in Wonderland

?