HISTORY OF ST JOSEPH’S TEACHERS’ COLLEGE
IN 1879, three Franciscan Sisters of Allegany set sail from New York in a banana boat for Jamaica in answer to the request of the then vicar apostolic of Jamaica. On their arrival in Jamaica, they joined the Scottish Franciscans who were in Jamaica since 1857. Eighteen years after their arrival, the Sisters were asked by the Jesuit priests to establish a college to provide sound professional training for Catholic teachers. In 1897, the dream became a reality, and the St Joseph’s Teachers’ College was founded. It was first located on Duke Street with an enrolment of six female students. Expansion continued over the years and enrolment increased.
During the 1950s and 1960s, a threeyear teacher-training programme was offered. In the 1970s, a two-year intramural and one-year external internship programme was designed and introduced to make applicants qualified for the diploma programme. This internship programme was later discontinued. In 1981, a new three-year diploma programme and a preliminary year were introduced. The latter was to make
applicants qualified for the diploma programme. In 1986, The post-certificate programme was introduced to facilitate those graduates wishing to upgrade their certificates to diploma status. In 1990, there was a revision of the diploma programme.
In 2002, the diploma in early childhood and primary education provided students with the option of completing their studies three years full-time, or four years on a part-time basis. During this era, a Bachelor of Education Degree in Primary Education was introduced and offered on a part-time basis for a period of two years. St Joseph’s delivered this degree in association with Mount St Vincent University, Nova Scotia, Canada which had accreditation status.
DIPLOMA PROGRAMME EXPANDED
In 2007, the Consortium in Teacher Education implemented a bachelor’s degree in an effort to expand the diploma programme. This consortium was comprised of the Teachers’ Colleges of Jamaica. This two-year degree programme was short-lived with the development and implementation of the now fouryear degree programme. Since August 2011, our training extends to four years at the end of which graduates receive a bachelor’s degree in early childhood or primary education under the accreditation of the University of the West Indies (UWI).
The college is now expanding its programmes with a view to diversify its offerings. New and upper level programmes are being sought for from reputable institutions abroad, while we continue our relationship with the UWI. We developed short professional courses to target in-service teachers and other interested participants. Efforts for collaboration with other local institutions of the college’s kind are in effect.