Congratulations were in order for 25 Early Childhood Education Teachers. The Teachers were all smiles as their hard work had paid off. Tribute was paid to the Teachers for their accomplishment in a Graduation ceremony held on 25 May, 2014 at the Pom Marine Hotel. This project was a conducted in partnership with the Higher Education Development Unit of the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation; Erdiston Teachers Training College and the Barbados Community College and funded by The Maria Holder Memorial Trust with assistance from Medicor Foundation.
The opening address was given by the Honourable Ronald Jones, Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation; the commencement address was delivered by Dr. Jackie Jenkins-Scott, President of Wheelock College Boston. Remarks were also given by Ruchelle Roach, Project Manager on behalf of The Maria Holder Memorial Trust.
This project would not have been possible without the foresight of Colette Neuhoff, Trustee, whose vision it was to have an education programme in Barbados that would enrich the sector. She therefore took that initiative and engaged Wheelock College in partnering with the Trust to develop a programme that would benefit Teachers on the Island. Ms Neuhoff spoke briefly about her passion for this project and was also honoured to present the Graduates with their Certificates.
A surprise for the students was a collection of congratulatory messages from their Professors as well as reflections from their time spent in Boston and persons they interacted with along with way. With ten (10) of the twenty-five (25) students receiving a perfect grade point average, it was difficult to decide who would represent the Graduating class. However, Sharon Sealey addressed the audience on behalf of her classmates and was not without praise for The Maria Holder Memorial Trust for the funding of the Certificate programme. Awards were also given to the Trust for seeing the value of education and teacher training. . It was indeed a memorable occasion for all.