Well…almost. We still have some building and landscaping to complete however, the application for registration was approved, which means we will officially open on Australia Day, January the 26th 2021. The day after, on the Feast Day of St. Sava, the children will take their first steps on the path to Life at St. Sava College
So, what is registration? An Act of the NSW Parliament called The Education Act, governs the operation of all schools in this state. The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), is a government agency which is responsible for monitoring the compliance of non-government schools, in our case St. Sava College, with the registration and accreditation requirements as set out in the Education Act of 1990.
Registration is a non-government school’s licence to operate under the Act. You cannot drive a car without a driver’s licence, you cannot construct approved buildings without a builder’s licence, and in this case you cannot open a school without registration. The registration process is incredibly complex and requires the input of a string of educators, consultants, lawyers, financial advisors and other specialists. Preparation of the application took nearly six months, and we have waited since our March submission for the approval. We expected it in September, but by the Grace of God, we received it two months earlier.
Why is the process so complex? The answer is quite simple. Using the analogy of the driver’s licence may be helpful at this point. In order to be granted a driver’s licence you need to know the road rules, and you must be able to operate a vehicle to at least a minimum level of proficiency. You are not compelled to know how a motor works, much less how and where a piston is made, or indeed what makes one piston better than another. So too, registration of a school requires demonstration of knowledge, understanding and the application of countless rules and regulations on the part of the administrator, as well as the ability to educate for those in the role of teacher.
But the analogy ends here, because the entity that operates the school must have a thorough knowledge of how the “motor” works too. It needs to be regularly serviced, updated and improved. The school must know its “pistons”, our students, each one different, with individual needs, aspirations and challenges. The school must operate in a discerning manner, continuously assessing, re-assessing every aspect of each child’s development, academic, physical, emotional, communal and spiritual. The registration process ensures that St. Sava College has a clear and dedicated plan to make sure each area of operation delivers at the highest possible level.
Everything that defines how St. Sava College will operate, was expressed in our application for registration. NESA ensures that we comply with the law, and that we have produced our own manuals and procedures that regulate how we operate. Our application, expressed very clearly, the mission of St. Sava College, the centrality of our Orthodox Christian faith and Serbian cultural inheritance, as well as our readiness to share in the wealth of our common traditions with our Orthodox brothers and sisters of Greek, Russian, Middle-Eastern and other cultures.
Six months to opening day. Glory to God!
