Tuesday, this week, April 7, saw the official launch of the Anguilla Community College (ACC) Development Project at a high profile ceremony at La Vue Conference Centre.
The two-floor edifice, of over 19,000-square-feet, and costing several million US dollars, is to be the island’s biggest and most ambitious educational project. Financed mainly by a loan from the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the actual construction work is expected to commence later this year, following the completion of a set of arrangements including the tendering process and the disbursements of funds. The institution will be constructed on a portion of the eleven-and-a-half acres of land owned by the college. The land, north of the Long Path at Sandy Hill, encompasses the existing factory shell and surrounding area.
The tone of the ceremony was appropriately set by the choir of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School with the singing of the song “We salute you, the ACC.” Coming from students, the song not only paid tribute to the establishment and planned development of the institution, but also embodied their own futuristic desire to benefit from the higher education it will provide for them and many of their peers.
Mrs Chanelle Petty Barrett, Permanent Secretary, Education, saw the launch of the Community College Development Project as a significant occasion to reflect on our history as a people. Delivering the welcome remarks, she referred to the 1800s “when, despite famine, starvation, poverty, disease and death, the inhabitants of the island kept on toiling” to survive, and even resisted efforts by the British colonisers to ship them off the island.
Quoting extensively from Bless Our Forebears, written by historian, Colville Petty OBE, she read in part: They scratched the dry earth and out of the dust created a means of survival. The survival of Anguillians as a distinct people owes much to the indomitable spirit of their forebears who were of a hard stock. One critical attribute was the will to survive buttressed by the values of self-reliance and foresight. The hard times produced a people with a spirit of independence and enterprise…
Mrs Petty Barrett also referred to the 1967 revolutionary period in Anguilla, pointing out that “the inadequacy of our social services was one of the driving forces behind the Anguilla Revolution.” She continued: “The quest for a better life included the quest for better education facilities and increased opportunities for learning. While we ought not to question the visionary leadership which got us through those difficult years, I cannot help but wonder whether our leaders actually envisioned a day like this when we will be launching a project for phase one of the development of our very own Community College.
“I am a proud Anguillian everyday, but even more so today because we have not let down our forebears. We have built on the foundation they have laid for us. Their struggles have not gone in vain. Out of the dust will rise the Anguilla Community College – a tribute to the men and women who toiled to survive on this barren, unyielding landscape, who defied the odds, refused to leave, ignited a revolution and built this little nation from virtually nothing. Yes, I am a proud Anguillian and so should every Anguillian here today. We have come a long way and we have every reason to celebrate this achievement.”
Chief Minister, Hubert Hughes, said: “The Anguilla Community College is an institution that offers opportunities to virtually all members of society who are interested in higher education. It has the ability to accommodate the very brightest among us while, at the same time, accommodate those who need gaps filled in their academic resumes in order to move forward in tertiary education. There is also an opportunity for persons to advance academically while still fully employed.
“A Government-affiliated institution of higher learning is expected to deliver to a broad spectrum of the population, and the non-elitist, and the non-discriminatory approach by the Anguilla Community College must be celebrated and not frowned upon. However, that is not the end of the story because the Anguilla Community College, while embracing different levels of students, does not promote or accept mediocrity so all involved must live up to the expectations of an accredited institution of higher learning. That too, must be applauded.”
The Chief Minister said that, as a relatively new institution, he was proud of the achievements of the Community College. He went on: “The institution has established a track record which indicates that there has been success with the major initiatives it has undertaken up to this point. There is a track record which indicates that there is tremendous potential for future success and growth, culminating in an institution which is viable academically and financially. There is a track record which gives the premier development bank in our region – the Caribbean Development Bank – the confidence to finance the development of the college. It is no secret that the Caribbean Development Bank is very detailed in its assessment of projects that are seeking financing, and for the Community College to end up on the right side of the bank is an indication of the solid foundation which has been laid.”
Mr Hughes added: “Today, I am not only a happy Anguillian, but a happy Caribbean man because there will be opportunities for our people from around the region. Tertiary education in Anguilla is on an upward path. May that path continue perpetually.”
Dr Idamay Denny, Operations Officer (Education) and Project Coordinator for the Caribbean Development Bank, gave an overview of the Anguilla Community College Project. She stated that over the next two days a CDB team would work with local personnel who would be undertaking the day-to-day implementation of the project. She further said that, over the same period, the team would “be afforded the opportunity to interact with officials at the highest level of the public service to provide some insight into the country’s broad obligations to ensure effective and timely implementation of this project.”
The CDB education official continued: “The Anguilla Community Development Project addresses two key issues: the need for both physical and programme expansion to accommodate both secondary and tertiary education; and the need to improve capacity to effectively administer and deliver such education in the country. In addressing the first issue, we are providing a dedicated home for the Anguilla Community College allowing it, in addition to its current and proposed programming, to accommodate the Sixth Form currently located at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School.
“Addressing the second issue, allows us to strengthen the college’s institutional capacity to manage and deliver post-secondary education. These activities are being undertaken at a cost of US 5.8 million dollars, 3.2 million of which is being provided through Caribbean Development Bank financing – and US 2.5 million which is the counterpart contribution of the Government of Anguilla (most of it in kind contribution). The bank is also providing a grant of US 90,000 dollars to conduct two activities: continuation of the Job-Linkup Programme in which young people at risk for engagement in illegal activity are given the opportunity to develop skills for sustainable employment; and our technical and vocational education and training summer camp for girls, 9-15 years old, to encourage their participation in TVET programming which holds the promise for well-paid sustainable employment.”
Dr Denny noted that Anguilla, like other Caribbean islands, had not escaped the negative impacts of the global financial downturn on its economy, “but all the contemporary research in education development suggests that investment in education should not be curtailed in times of crisis. Rather, such investment is even more critical because it is, more often than not, the quality of the human resource which allows a country to emerge stronger from economic decline.”
Anguilla’s Minister of Education, Mr Jerome Roberts, in delivering the feature address, described the project as another significant milestone in the development of the Community College. “It is an occasion to be celebrated not only by the College Board, Ministry of Education and the Government of Anguilla, but the people of Anguilla as a whole,” he stated. He placed on record the Government’s gratitude to the CDB “for helping us to reach this milestone.”
The Minister continued: “CDB has provided technical assistance for the development of a blueprint for the College’s Hospitality Studies Institute, and was also committed to financing a feasibility study for the development of that institute. Though plans were changed along the way, CDB has remained a faithful partner and has stood alongside ACC providing guidance and assistance when necessary. Dr Denny and her team are to be commended in particular for walking us through this entire process. Through your work, you have been true to your organisation’s mission statement.”
Mr Roberts added: “Thank you for believing in the ACC and for everything that you have done to get us to this point. We look forward to working with you to see this project through to completion.”
Professor Delroy Louden, President of the Anguilla Community College, said the launch of the project was “a very special day in the educational history of Anguilla as we move closer to having our own purpose-built tertiary education institution.” He observed that “this milestone has taken sometime in coming, but we thank the CDB and its staff, the Government of Anguilla – as well as previous Governments – for making this long-overdue day possible.”
Professor Louden went on: “My staff and I want to assure you, and the people of Anguilla, that this investment in our tertiary educational system is not only a worthwhile one, but one that will bear fruits beyond our wildest dreams. By this commitment, we are sending a clear message to the people of these shores and beyond that the ACC is an integral part of the educational institutional fabric of this island. It will undoubtedly contribute to nation-building, strengthening the infrastructure and human resource needs. As an institution, ACC will inevitably address varying issues with vigorous debate providing at all times evidence-based approaches.”
He stressed that it was imperative for the Community College to focus on access and success for students as well as excellence and innovation in its service. He saw this having serious implications for Anguilla’s competitiveness and future prosperity, and the education of tomorrow’s workforce.
Mr Carlton Pickering, Executive Director of the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was given an opportunity to comment on the launch of the project on behalf of the President of the Chamber, Mr Keithley Lake. Mr Pickering spoke about the close collaboration between his business organisation and the Community College – and the Chamber’s involvement in discussions with the CDB about the project. He was pleased that the Chamber was funding a scholarship for a student studying for an Associate Degree in Business Studies at the college, and further plans to promote education in Anguilla.
The Vote of Thanks was delivered by Mrs Rhona Richardson-Roydon, Chairperson of the Board of Governors of the Anguilla Community College. The ceremony was chaired by Mrs Shellecia Brooks-Johnson, Assistant Registrar.
