Moneague College Receives Institutional Accreditation

The Moneague College in St. Ann has reached a significant milestone in its near seven-decade history, having received institutional accreditation from the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ).

The designation makes the college the seventh institution to receive this prestigious recognition, and the accomplishment reflects the institution’s commitment to academic excellence, operational standards, and student success.

For more than two decades, the UCJ has been the governing body that ensures tertiary institutions maintain high educational and operational standards. Initially, the focus was on programme accreditation so that individual courses met national and international benchmarks.

However, as the regulatory body evolved, it introduced institutional accreditation, a process that evaluates an entire institution, from faculty and policies to infrastructure and student engagement.

For Principal, Howard Isaacs, the journey to accreditation, while challenging, marked a transformative moment for the institution that began as a teacher’s college and has evolved into a multidisciplinary institution serving more than 1,380 students as of December 2024.

“Now, when the UCJ comes in, they normally would bring in local personnel who are abreast with the knowledge, the standards of institutional accreditation, but also they bring in international personnel who would have a wide, significant knowledge on accreditation and they come and they do a thorough exam,” Mr. Isaacs explained.

“They go through everything. They meet with the Board of Management, administration, faculty, staff, students, individuals within the community and even past students. They go through a comprehensive drill of the polices and every aspect of the institution,” he added.

Mr. Isaacs recounted major obstacles, including a devastating fire that destroyed key facilities and the untimely passing of faculty members such as Dr. André Grant who were instrumental in the process.

Despite these setbacks, the institution persevered, driven by a dedicated team that worked tirelessly over successive years to ensure Moneague College met the rigorous UCJ standards.
Institutional accreditation carries significant benefits for students, faculty, and the broader community.

It enhances the college’s credibility and allows for the development of new programmes as well as guarantees that graduates possess qualifications recognised on a global scale.

“We can now develop our own programmes. If we desire, we can develop a programme on lawn cutting for example. We are good to go because we have our standards now having gotten institutional accreditation. We have our administration, our councils, our committees, our operations that have met a standard which enables Moneague College to stand on its own,” Mr. Isaacs stated.

The college now joins the ranks of prestigious institutions such as the University of the West Indies, the University of Technology, Northern Caribbean University, The Mico University College, Excelsior Community College and University of the Commonwealth Caribbean, as having institutional accreditation.

“We just want to say thanks to everybody, including the members of the University Council of Jamaica and our respective colleagues across Jamaica who supported the initiative. We are on a journey, and it’s going to get better because we are multidisciplinary, and we are doing things differently. We are the heart of the village, with the village in our heart,” Mr. Isaacs stated.

For the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, led by acting head Muffet Forsythe-Llewellyn, the accreditation validates the institution’s commitment to quality education.

According to the proud alumna of the college, who has witnessed the institution’s growth first-hand, the continuous strategic leadership throughout the years has led to increased enrolment, improved facilities, and expanded academic programmes.

“With the accreditation in mind, students know that it is quality we offer and continue to instal in them, and that they have to showcase it in the work they do,” Mrs. Forsythe-Llewellyn indicated.

The impact of accreditation is already resonating with the student body.

The second vice president of the Guild of Students, Justin Bailey, noted the heightened sense of pride among students.

Mr. Bailey, who is a final-year Bachelor of Science student in Secondary Business Education, shared how the achievement fuels his pride in further representing the institution, both academically and athletically, at national and international levels.

“Moneague College already feels like it has changed since our recent institutional accreditation. I mean, we have been moving in different parts. We are a big deal now,” Mr. Bailey pointed out.

“We have been doing well as it relates to our commitment to academic success. Not only that, but we have also been training students to be well-rounded individuals. So, this is just the icing on the cake for us,” he added.

Meanwhile, the college continues to expand its reach as it collaborates with the Jamaica Theological Seminary, Caribbean Maritime University, and UTech and offers programmes through the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica and the Joint Board of Teacher Education.

Moneague College’s institutional accreditation rings true to the institution’s motto of ‘Soaring to heights of Excellence’.