The Sydney Catholic school system was one of five recipients of the major award in the 19th annual Australian Business Excellence Awards announced in Sydney last night.

Accepted by Br Kelvin Canavan, Executive Director of Schools, on behalf of Sydney Catholic schools, the bronze award recognises effective business practice across a variety of areas such as leadership, finance, quality, innovation, people, customer focus and strategic planning.

Br Kelvin said that this award follows receipt of the top award in the Leadership category in 2004. He added that "it also allows us to benchmark ourselves against other business enterprises in Australia and overseas, and in so doing, focus our efforts on organisational excellence in all that we do."

A spokesperson from the organisers, SAI Global, said that this year's awards attracted more than 100 entries from all kinds of business and government enterprises across the nation.

"To get any award on these occasions is a significant achievement," he said.

Br Kelvin stated that this latest award is public recognition of the 7000 teachers and administrators whose daily work is dedicated to the education of 63,000 students in 147 parish primary and regional secondary schools across much of the metropolitan area.

"It gives considerable encouragement to teachers in the system who aspire to belong to a successful organisation".

"We come from an educational culture that has not been closely associated with business efficiency and organisational excellence. However, that culture is changing with a growing emphasis on strategic planning, performance targets and commitment to accountability and improvement in everything we do."

"We are accountable to taxpayers and the parents who finance our schools. It's our duty to use that money as efficiently as possible in producing the best possible outcomes for our students and ultimately the nation."

"Our bottom line cannot be calculated in monetary terms. The measures of our performance are reflected not only in our students' examination results, but significantly in  their cultural and sporting attainments, their social justice outreach programs, the success our students have in achieving their further education and career goals and the value of their contribution to the church and the wider community."

Br Kelvin also pointed out that student academic results are one measure of success. In this area literacy and numeracy scores have continued to improve across the system over the past seven years with the best ever HSC results recorded in 2006.

"We also have responsibility to assist these young people in the development of ethical and moral values that reflect our faith tradition and support a democratic, multicultural Australia. These outcomes are not easily measured."

 "We're in the business of education and we know that our students only have one opportunity for a school education."

"This award recognises the work of so many whose lives revolve around the students in our schools," Br Kelvin said.

 

For Further Information

Br Kelvin Canavan, Catholic Education Office, Leichhardt Tel: 9568 8201
Ted Myers, Catholic Education Office, Leichhardt Tel: 9568 8224