A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. – Henry Adams
Last Friday, I was among a number of proud products of the Erdiston Teachers’ Training College who retuned to the Pine Hill location for what was dubbed “a social evening” for the purpose of resuscitating the alumni. What transpired was nostalgic, reflective and in some respects hilarious.
A cursory glance at the faces of those present reflected a span of years going back to the numbered courses of the early years and coming right through to those of more recent vintage.
Among those seeking the pleasure of professional nostalgia was Minister of Education and Human Resource Development Ronald Jones and his professional colleague and political opponent Cynthia Forde. With the endorsement of the current board of management, the acting principal Mrs Barbara Parris, the evening was a wonderful trip down memory lane.
The early days of a residential teachers’ college, of second-year students being called gods and goddesses, the days of dangerous and very serious ragging of the “freshmen and the freshettes”, the culmination of teaching practice with its burial in the sandpit after a service and procession were relived.
An exciting treasure hunt saw Minister Jones engaging in “running” of a different nature that led him to the treasure in the historic sandpit. Seeing the minister take a dash into the sand in pursuit of the final clue that would win him the prize was exciting.
Heartiest congratulations are extended to all those who were responsible for conceptualising and executing what I hope is the beginning of a vibrant alumni that will link the educational practitioners of Barbados in new and refreshing ways. The possibilities and benefits seem endless.
Nestling among the trees and enjoying a panoramic view of Belleville in the foreground and Greater Bridgetown in the distance is the Erdiston Teachers’ College that was established in 1948.
For the past 62 years the college has been in the vanguard of teacher training in Barbados and the Caribbean. During this time it trained teachers not only for Barbados but for many of the territories. The year 1954 ushered in significant changes in the length of the programme offered at the college as well as the intake of students. The programme was changed to a two-year, in-service one and admitted 15 students from Grenada, St Lucia, Montserrat, Dominica and Tortola.
In 1964, the college became an affiliate of the School of Education of the University of the West Indies which served as an accreditation body for the college’s programme.
The decade of the 1970s saw the expansion of teacher training to include several new programmes. By 1987 it was clear that the college had successfully achieved its original goal of providing initial training to the island’s teachers, thus the mandate was widened and emphasis shifted from initial training to continuing professional education.
Initial training during the latter half of the 1980s was geared to the training of secondary non-graduate teachers in technical subjects specifically business education, home economics and industrial arts.
The onset of the 1990s was characterised by economic and financial difficulties nationwide.
By 1992, the economic recession was so severe that the Government was actually considering closure of the college. In 1993, however, Cabinet announced that Erdiston College would be restructured and that the diploma in education and the certificate in educational management and administration, two programmes previously offered by the University
of the West Indies, would be offered at Erdiston College on a one-year basis.
So that after “the near-death” experience of the college, it is perhaps ironic that in another period of economic stringency, the pedagogical craftsmen of our fate are desirous of giving new life to their profession through the revival of the alumni.
It is hoped that through the alumni, Erdistonians will reconnect to their professional base, celebrate its achievements, build partnerships that are supportive of its programmes and mandate, enhance its community outreach, provide opportunities for sharing of best practices and, above all, promote teaching as the noble profession that it is.
I look forward with eager anticipation to spending the last Wednesday monthly engaging in activities and programmes that will give today’s pedagogues a chance to draw on the professional experiences of their older colleagues and, by so doing, equip themselves to deal with the many new challenges facing the culture of teaching and learning. Erdistonians, arise!
•Matthew D. Farley is a secondary school principal, chairman of the National Forum On Education, and a social commentator.
