Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College launches 50th anniversary plans

WESTERN BUREAU:

Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College (SSTC), in St James, says it will be staging several activities in the lead-up to its 50th anniversary celebration on September 29, 2025.

The college’s anniversary celebration, which is being held under the theme ‘Celebrating Excellence, Advancing the Legacy,’ began on Monday with its media launch at its Granville campus, where students and administrative staff witnessed the official unveiling of the school’s 50th anniversary logo.

Ricardo Bennett, the SSTC’s principal, expressed joy at the opportunity to commemorate the 50-year history of the institution, which began operations on September 29, 1975.

“We are happy to be celebrating this milestone achievement for the institution, and it is a period of real pride. Indeed, a celebratory mood is around the campus as we look to this year-long period of celebrations,” said Bennett. “At SSTC, we are quite proud of the impact that the college has had, not only in western Jamaica, but nationally and globally.”

The SSTC was western Jamaica’s first tertiary college, built under a joint venture between the Government of Jamaica and the World Bank. It was originally named the Granville Teachers’ College at its opening in September 1975, but one month later, it was renamed in honour of National Hero Samuel Sharpe.

The SSTC’s series of activities for its 50th anniversary celebration will start with a church service at the St James Parish Church on September 29. The following day, September 30, will mark a week of activities, which will include alumni engagements and a health fair.

During Heritage Week, October 14 to 21, the inaugural logo design competition for staff and students will take place. In December, a public commemorative concert will be held.

During 2025, the college will host its annual Dr Simon Clarke Lecture in January and an awards ceremony in February, and will dedicate the month of April to various community service activities. The anniversary celebration series will climax in September with the launch of the western chapter of the college’s alumni association, a stakeholder appreciation brunch, and a 50th anniversary gala staging.

Bennett said SSTC began with 150 students and has since expanded to more than 800 students. The number of programmes for trainee teachers has increased over the years.

“The college started in 1975 with just two programmes, and we are happy that we now have 12 programme offerings across early childhood, primary and secondary learning. We have done a Master’s Degree programme and also a Bachelor’s Degree programme with Central Connecticut State University in the past, and we have two Master’s Degree programmes that we offer in collaboration with the University of the West Indies, which are the Master of Arts in Early Childhood Education, and also the Master of Arts in Special Education,” Bennett explained.

Desmond Dorman, a member of the SSTC’s first graduating class, shared fond memories of his time at the school during Monday’s media launch. “We came to this place, and we thought a college was resplendent, that we would have stained lumber and a stained glass window and polished floors, but there was nothing of the sort here. But we came, we saw, and we conquered,” said Dorman.