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Museum of Education to be Opened at Mico

March 29, 2004

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The Governor General, His Excellency The Most Hon. Sir Howard Cooke, will officially open a Museum of Education at the Mico Teachers’ College this Wednesday, March 31.
A joint effort of the Museums of History and Ethnography, Institute of Jamaica and the Mico College, the facility will house a permanent exhibition entitled, ‘Winds of Change: The Evolution of Education in Jamaica’, featuring material and written display of the history and development of education in Jamaica.
Emphasizing the importance of the facility, Principal of the Mico, Dr. Claude Packer said that the museum was another building block in the effort being made by the nation, to construct an edifice of its own.
“The Mico College is the most appropriate place in Jamaica to house the Museum of History and Education, since the education of ‘free people’ began here in 1836 and its early graduates spent almost all their working lives preserving our educational heritage,” he said.
The exhibition looks at the evolution of Jamaica’s education system from the immediate Post-Emancipation period to the present. Education for the largely black Jamaican population has progressed from basic instruction in the 3 Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic) to a comprehensive system that facilitates education up to the very highest tertiary levels.
In telling this story, the exhibition showcases the contribution of Missionary Societies and generous Trustees to the establishment of some of the first schools in the island, recalling the days when the main purpose of schools was to ensure that the newly freed black population would remain on the plantations.
‘Winds of Change’ also explores the evolution of various aspects of education to better address the needs of the Jamaican student, including the move from Common Entrance to Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) and General Certificate of Education (GCE) to Caribbean Examination Council (CXC).
Teachers, students and international researchers are among those set to benefit from the establishment of the facility, which was put in place to promote and facilitate the use of museums, objects and interactive sessions in the classrooms.

Last Updated: March 29, 2004

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