Date of Award

1984

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

College

College of Education and International Services

Program

Religious Education, PhD

First Advisor

George H. Akers

Second Advisor

Walter B. T. Douglas

Third Advisor

George Knight

Abstract

Problem

There is no written history of West Indies College (WIC). What little is cited in periodicals, magazines, Palm Leaves, and other sources about this institution is insignificant, incomplete, and sometimes incorrect. For over half a century, WIC has been preparing workers for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Until 1984, however, no comprehensive history was written on the development of this important institution of higher learning.

Method

The documentary-historical method was employed in this research. Books, periodicals, school bulletins, unpublished manuscripts, board minutes, school reports and agendas, school calendars, private files, correspondence, and other relevant documents as well as oral interviews were used to gather information.

Conclusions

The following conclusions were made: (1) WIC began in a critical time in the history of education in Jamaica. (2) WIC was different from existing schools in scope and curriculum. (3) The first attempts to establish WIC were unsuccessful. (4) The pioneers sacrificed much for the establishment and development of WIC. (5) The pioneers of WIC learned from their mistakes. (6) WIC contributed to the development of its immediate community. (7) West Indian Training School (WITS) began as an industrial school at a time when the people of Jamaica perceived manual training as an effort to restrict them to the lower level of society. (8) Ideological differences concerning the direction of the school and curriculum retarded the early progress of WIC. (9) WIC survived the economic depression of the 1930s although at times the school was beset with serious enrollment and economic problems. (10) The industries were financial assets to the college except for infrequent periods of difficulty. (11) Teachers and students fostered a spirit of togetherness and concern for one another in a family relationship on the campus of WIC. (12) West Indian Training College (WITC) was beset with financial difficulties at times, but with the assistance of the higher organizations it was able to surmount its problems. (13) Professionalization of the curriculum became more apparent in the late 1950s.

Subject Area

West Indies College; Seventh-day Adventists--Education--West Indies--History

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.32597/dissertations/376

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