Church Teachers’ College on course to attain university status

Church Teachers’ College in Manchester is repositioning itself to attain university status.

According to Principal of the institution, Dr Garth Anderson, its graduates have gone on to become not only teachers but school leaders, lawyers, politicians, media practitioners, religious leaders, financial and business experts, policymakers, researchers and change makers.

Speaking at the 60th anniversary and gala awards ceremony for the college, held recently at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, the Principal said the institution is ready to keep on researching, as well as “expand our programmes, and strengthen our national, regional and international impact”.

“We are confident in who we are; our track record of excellence and providing thinkers and innovators for our nation is beyond question,” he said.

The event was held under the theme ‘Celebrating A Legacy of Excellence: Boldly Meeting the Demands of the 21st Century and Beyond’.

Anderson underscored that the College’s past students have stepped into classrooms and have entered struggling communities and rebuilt them through the power of education, noting that the college was founded on values of discipline, hard work, service, faith and the relentless pursuit of excellence.

“These values have sustained us through economic shifts, policy changes, and even global pandemic,” the Principal said.

In a recent partnership involving the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, with funding from the Digicel Foundation, the college established a smart laboratory, which will be fitted with laptops, a smart board, teacher-training software, with two years free Internet connection provided by Digicel.

For his part, Custos of St Andrew, Ian Forbes, said the college has been steadfastly creating a tradition of academic excellence, standing as a “beacon of hope and advancement”, noting that teachers who come out of the college have positively impacted the society over the past six decades.

“At every level of the Jamaican education system, there are men and women who have stood at the chalkboard, guided young minds, led institutions and shaped policies contributing to, in no small measure, national development,” Forbes said.

Custos Forbes highlighted that the institution has demonstrated an admirable capacity to adapt, integrating new technologies, embracing modern practices and “preparing students not merely for today's classrooms but for the dynamic education landscape of tomorrow”.

“The college has remained anchored in the nation to quickly educate us, not only with knowledge and skill but with compassion, discipline and a sense of purpose,” he added.

In the meantime, Chief Technical Director at the Education Ministry, Dr Nicola Ann Brown-Pinnock, said the college has achieved a milestone of more than six decades of “unwavering commitment” to teacher education and national development.

“The accomplishment is no easy feat, as it stands as a pillar of excellence, grounded in faith and service, and your contributions have had an impact that reaches far beyond the walls of your classrooms and lecture halls,” she told the audience.

Brown-Pinnock said the culture of the college resonates in the quality of the educators who continue to transform lives across Jamaica, the wider Caribbean and the wider world.

She argued that the diamond jubilee celebration speaks to “your unwavering duty towards fulfilling the purpose of nation-building, one teacher at a time”.

“As we reflect on the progress of teacher development nationwide, the Ministry continues to underscore the pivotal role of the teaching profession in shaping the nation's future,” Brown-Pinnock said.

She assured that the Ministry remains committed to supporting Church Teachers’ College, and all other colleges across the island, with the aim to empower educators who are both competent in pedagogy and are aware of the holistic needs of today's learners.

In her address, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Paula Llewellyn, said she has been “extraordinarily pleased” with the excellent tradition of the college.

“I was very impressed by the persons who have passed through the walls of Church Teachers’ College. Irrespective of where you are, whether you remain in education, whether you go elsewhere, as a human being, you are required to mentor and guide others who will need your assistance and your help,” she continued.

The DPP said the great importance of an institution like Church Teachers’ College is the ability to shape men and women to become good people who are prepared to make sure that they do the right thing, so that evil does not triumph.

She emphasised that graduates of the college should continue to be “citizens in this country who are able to guide the minority, mentor the minority who may be anti-social, to embrace and build a brand-new Jamaica for the better”.

Scores of persons were honoured at the gala, which included past and current students, and stakeholders.

- JIS News

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