Message from St Mark’s College UK Trust
The St Mark's UK Trust has had a long association with St Mark's College, through its various ups and downs, and continues to have faith in its long-term future. Indeed we at the Trust believe the School is at the point of entering a new and exciting point in its history. We continue to believe in the quality of the School&rsquo's alumni, the aspirations of the community and, above all, the talent and ambitions of the young people of Limpopo.
The Trust remains committed therefore to assist St Mark’s in whatever way it feels is beneficial to its future.
The future of St Mark’s will always be a challenge. There is likely to be a constant need for funding and funding is always in short supply. More challenging is that change demands new ways of delivering an educational response. This is where the Trust is optimistic about the negotiations currently under way and the concept of moving the School towards a public/private enterprise. This should not only underpin its funding for the future but align the School with the economic development of Limpopo, equipping students for employment and major career opportunities in Limpopo which we believe is beneficial for students and the whole community.
Establishing St Mark’s as a “Focus School” with a specialism will provide it with a particular educational challenge. Its standards will be tested but its reputation will have the potential to grow both locally and nationally. Ideally it will collaborate with the other schools in the Jane Furse area, sharing its resources to provide an ‘educational offering’ which will meet the needs of the whole community.
It is proposed that St Mark’s governance will be by the various stakeholders in the Jane Furse community including the Anglican Diocese of Limpopo, for whom the Christian ethos of the school remains hugely important, an ethos that is fully inclusive and mindful of the needs of students as “whole people”, with diverse spiritual as well as practical needs. The St Mark’s UK Trust fully endorses the continuance of this ethos and will be looking to the pursuance of honesty and fairness in all the School’s undertakings. The Trust looks forward to the School meeting the highest standards and will continue to make its support conditional upon these high standards. Above all the Trust wishes the School well as it embarks upon a challenging new chapter in its development.
Hugh Anderson
Chairperson, The St Mark’s UK Trust