Profiling the island’s teacher-training institutions

IF YOU are interested in becoming a teacher, the first thing to know is where to go for formal training. Here’s a brief profile of the island’s teachertraining institutions:

BETHLEHEM MORAVIAN COLLEGE

Bethlehem Moravian College, which is situated in the parish of St Elizabeth, in the cool hills of Malvern at the peak of the Santa Cruz Mountain, was established in 1861 under the auspices of the Moravian Church in Jamaica.

Over the years, Bethlehem has been one of the foremost tertiary institutions offering quality teacher education programmes to young Jamaicans. Bethlehem started as a female institution and has since become a coeducational one with a rapidly growing population. Recently, it has become a multidisciplinary institution to mould the lives of young Jamaicans into the 21st century.

CATHOLIC COLLEGE OF MANDEVILLE

Catholic College of Mandeville (CCM), founded by the late Bishop Paul Michael Boyle, CP, in 1992, was established to assuage the increasing demand to upgrade the teaching skills of Jamaican educators. Cognisant of the fact that many teachers, pre-trained, were unable to fund their education, Bishop Boyle endeavoured to ensure that the college would be accessible to everyone through the formula of affordable tuition costs plus quality training.

This formula has been a success as within the first year of 1993, 18 students occupied one classroom at the college’s previous location, Mount St Joseph Preparatory School, for one and a half years, then St Paul of the Cross High School, for some time. For the subsequent years, CCM continued to see an increase in enrolment, additions in faculty and staff and recognition from various private and educational boards and institutions in Jamaica. In 1995, CCM was approved by the Catholic Church and registered with the University Council of Jamaica in 1997. The college received accreditation and re-accreditation status of two of the main programmes offered by the college: diploma in primary education (2001, 2005) and the bachelor in education (primary), (2005, 2010).

CHURCH TEACHERS’ COLLEGE

Church Teachers’ College began in September 1965 as Mandeville Teachers’ College, with 75 students, 24 of whom were men. The institution was established with the blessing and authority of the Rt Rev Percival Gibson, then Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Jamaica. The moving figure to obtain the facilities for a college of education in Mandeville at that time was the Rt Rev Benjamin Vaughan, Bishop of Mandeville. He was the first chairman of the Board of Management. The college began with 25 pre-service teachers in the primary programme and 50 in the secondary programme. As the institution grew, it increased the number of secondary teachers and eventually became the only institution in the island, which focused on the training of teachers for the age group 12+ to 17+. Later, post-certificate students in both primary and secondary areas were trained and since the dawn of the 90s the college has also trained university graduates who wished to pursue professional qualifications with a diploma in teacher education. Today, the college is on track to begin to prepare students for a degree in secondary education. From the outset, the college has been a member of the Joint Board of Teacher Education (JBTE) at The University of the West Indies which sets the programmes and certifies its diploma.

THE MONEAGUE COLLEGE

The Moneague College is located in St Ann and the property on which it stands was first known as Rose Hall when purchased by its original owner, John Hutchinson, an Englishman. Hutchinson left Rose Hall to his two daughters and stipulated that it should be the legacy for his grandchildren. In the late 1800s, the sisters failed to pay taxes on the property. The ensuing years saw the property taking on many functions, namely, as a hotel to house visitors to an agricultural exhibition in the early 1890s; later as a juvenile camp for wayward girls and, during World War II, as a solider camp.

In response to the growing need for education and training of primary-school teachers, Moneague opened its door as an educational institution in 1956. Dr Aubrey Phillips was the first principal of the institution. Opened with 104 students, demand increased enrolment to 626 by 1978. Initially, the college concentrated on teacher training in primary and early childhood education, but as demand increased, training for secondary school teachers was added. In 1981, a three-year intramural training course was added to the curriculum.

The college was closed in 1985 but reopened in 1987, with a new focus: the training of a group of teachers who held trained teachers’ certificates. The college’s effectiveness as a teacher training institution was reflected in it gaining the esteemed DRB Grant Award for the highest achiever in early childhood and primary post-certificate training for four consecutive years. The college earned the award six times in the 10-year run of the programme. In 1993, the college evolved into a multidisciplinary institution; this time, a community college was added. An evening institute was also established in the same year.

THE MICO UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

The Mico University College was founded in 1836, making it the oldest teachertraining college in the Western Hemisphere and one of the oldest in the world, rivalling the famed Battersea College in England, established in 1817. It was established through the Lady Mico Trust, which established four teacher-training institutions and hundreds of elementary schools in the British colonies in the West Indies, Mauritius and Seychelles, beginning in 1836. This followed the successful efforts of Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton to direct the resources of the trust to the education of the children of the ex-slaves in these British colonies where slavery was in the process of being abolished. In an era where denominational education was the norm, the defining feature of the Mico institutions was that they were of Christian influence but non-denominational.

The Negro Education Grant, which was provided by the British Parliament, ended in 1846. As a result, most of the Mico elementary schools, except those in St Lucia, did not survive. The elementary schools in St Lucia survived the longest until the 1890s. The Mico University College is the only teachertraining institution to survive into the 20th century.

SAM SHARPE TEACHERS’ COLLEGE

Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College, founded in 1975 by the Ministry of Education and funded by the World Bank, is located in Granville, St James, approximately six kilometres from the centre of Montego Bay, the tourism mecca of the Caribbean.

Built on a hill amidst the villages of Granville, Irwin, Tucker, Pitfour, and Retirement, the college was envisioned to be a catalyst in community and human development. As it carried out its prime mandate of teacher education, it would give leadership, mentorship and encouragement to a young and problematic population of Granville and its environs. Its main mission was aimed at the western end of the island – to increase opportunities in education at the tertiary level, thereby improving the quality of life of its people.

SHORTWOOD TEACHERS’ COLLEGE

Shortwood Teachers’ College was founded in 1885 as part of the package of widespread social, economic and political reforms spearheaded by Sir John Peter Grant, who was appointed Governor of Jamaica after 1865.

In 1880, Thomas Capper, BA, newly appointed superintendent of schools, emphasised the need for more trained women “of quality” to be trained as teachers. He felt that their influence on the minds and manners of the young child could be salutary for the development of the people. He was supported by such prominent persons as Bishop Enos Nutthall, Reverend Mr Robb and Mr George Hicks. Together they persuaded the newly appointed governor, Sir Henry Norman, to make a report on this to the Home Office. Ultimately, approval was given for the establishment of a female teachers’ college.

On September 28, 1885, the Jamaica Female Training College, with Miss Amy Johnson as its principal and Miss MC Randall as her assistant, opened its door to 18 students. The college, fully financed by the Government, was first located in lower Barbican, but a case of yellow fever at the college during its very first year induced the authorities to remove the college to Camperdown, where it remained for one year. In 1887, the Government purchased the property part of the Shortwood Estate on which the college now stands. The institution was removed to this location and was no doubt called Shortwood Teachers’ College after that time.

ST JOSEPH’S TEACHERS’ COLLEGE

St Joseph’s Teachers’ College was founded in 1897 by three Franciscan Sisters of Allegany who had set sail from New York on a banana boat in 1879. They arrived in Jamaica in answer to the request of the then Vicar Apostolic of Jamaica. 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. The college was first located on Duke Street with an enrolment of six female students. The college faced a number of challenging situations, especially that of funding. The administration then was in the capable hands of Sr Deloris McGrane.

The college had a rather nomadic existence for a number of years. After the 1907 earthquake, it was housed in tents. Some rebuilding took place, only to be destroyed by fire in 1937. After that disaster, the college was relocated to its present site at Alvernia. The Alvernia property was given to the sisters by the D’Aquin family. The dormitory, built in the ‘60s, was named in their houour – D’Aquin Hall.

In 1957, following the devastation of Hurricane Charlie, rebuilding took place and signs of permanence were evident for the first time. Since then, St Joseph’s Teachers’ College has remained a landmark in the Cross Roads area.

Expansion continued over the years and enrolment increased. The first male student was enrolled in 1956.