As the Anguilla Community College marks its 10th Anniversary, the Minister of Education, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge, has announced that, after much delay, the island’s tertiary institution is back on track. Plans are now in hand to begin the construction of its new campus on 12 acres of Government land at Sandy Hill. And, according to the current Chairman of the Board of Governors, Mr. Rodney Rey, building work is scheduled to begin during the first quarter of next year.
“We have had many challenges with this project, but I am happy to report that it is back on track, and I encourage local contractors to listen over the next few weeks for the advertisement of the invitation to bid for construction of the College,” the Minister said. She was speaking at a press conference on Monday afternoon at the College to lunch its tenth anniversary.”
The Minister of Education continued: “The importance of the Anguilla Community College cannot be over-emphasised. It is a tangible reminder that we as a people must embrace life-long learning. As such, whether you are preparing yourself for higher education, to advance in your current career, or seeking a second chance to attain some qualifications, the Anguilla Community College is here to serve you.
“While we are pleased that the College has helped many persons to achieve their personal aspirations, we cannot overlook the fact the College is a key player in nation-building. There is no country that has achieved high levels of development without investing in the education of its people. The Anguilla Community College is our investment in our people. When persons take advantage of the opportunities afforded them, they will undoubtedly be in a better position to contribute meaningfully to Anguilla’s advancement.”
The Minister noted that the College, currently located in the Rogers’ Building at George Hill, had its beginnings at the Cannon Ball Complex with the establishment of the Community Development Unit in 2006, led by Mrs. Dawn Reid, Education Planner – assisted by Ms. Sharon Richardson and Mrs. Bernice Edwards. She acknowledged that they had worked tirelessly to lay the necessary groundwork for the eventual establishment of the Anguilla Community College in 2008, they must be applauded.
Minister Cora Richardson-Hodge went on: “Over the past ten years, the College has celebrated many milestones. These included the passage of the Anguilla Community College Act which governs its operations; the installation of its first Board of Governors led by Mrs. Rhona Richardson-Roydon; and the installation of its first President, Dr. Delroy Louden. However, what is most heartening, is the expansion in programming and the growth in student enrolment over the years.”
The Minister spoke about the College’s introduction of short courses in various aspects of hospitality; its CSEC courses; Associate Degrees in Hospitality, Business, Education and Early Childhood Education; BTEC certification in business, hospitality and construction and a wide range of short professional development courses .
She stressed that the Government remained committed to the College and that the Caribbean Development Bank had made an increased loan to the Government for the new campus. That increased loan amounts to 5.3 million US dollars. Another source of funding is the Mexican Loan through the CDB. The overall cost of the build-out of the new campus should be in the range of US ten million dollars.
Minister Richardson-Hodge added: “On this tenth anniversary of the ACC, I thank everyone who would have played an integral role in shaping the ACC into the institution it is today, including past and present Ministers, Ministry officials, Board members and staff. I pledge the continued support and commitment of the Ministry of Education in ensuring that the College fulfills its mission of meeting the educational needs of our community.”
She encouraged the current ACC Board, the President, Dr. Karl Dawson, and the entire team of the institution to forge ahead with the work of the College.
Mr. Rodney Rey, President of the ACC, backing up the Minister of Education about the immediate plans for the College, stated: “Our focus going forward for the next ten years and beyond, will be, what I regard as my number one priority: the construction of our purpose-built campus. We have been hearing about that for a long time. We are hoping that, definitely, in the first quarter of 2019 we will see some progress on the construction of our new purpose-built-campus in the area designated for that facility on the Long Road. In addition to that area of focus, we expect to expand our training to meet the human resource needs for the economy of Anguilla. That has to be a focus for Anguilla, Government and for the College.”
Mr. Rey continued: “Going forward as well, I have been saying to colleagues that I would like to see the Anguilla Community College become the institution of first choice for the human resource development needs of the Anguilla public service. Right now we are heavily financed by the Government of Anguilla, and obviously we should be leading the way in terms of the human resource needs of the public service. Another area of focus for the next ten years must be to put emphasis on what I call the community aspect of our name.
“We are not going to be a university in the foreseeable future so the emphasis must be on community training. We want to facilitate access of all Anguillians to life-long learning…at the community level that will not require certification but development of skills to improve service in agriculture, fishing, hair-dressing and tailoring. Our focus will also include the development of partnerships with other educational institutions in the region and beyond. There are some things we cannot do alone, but we want to make tertiary education accessible to all Anguillians, and if it can be done at home it will be cheaper.
Mr. Rey, a former Principal of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School and the first Chairman of the Anguilla Community College Development Unit, said the College was still in its infancy. He stressed, however, that “we are proud of our impact on the educational landscape of Anguilla thus far.”
Mrs. Rhona Richardson-Roydon, whom Dr. Dawson referred to as “the Founding Chairperson of the Community College Board of Directors, took the opportunity to express thanks and appreciation to Mrs. Chanelle Petty Barrett who was Permanent Secretary, Education, during her initial time as chairperson of the Board. “She was a ‘go person’. She allowed us to recruit staff to bring us to the point where the College is today,” Mrs. Richardson-Roydon said. She also paid tribute to the former Minister of Education, Mr. Eric Reid, with whom she served, and Mrs. Critchlow Earle of Barbados who, with her vast experience, assisted with the early operations of the Community College Development Unit in terms of hospitality studies.
Mrs. Richardson-Roydon was pleased that the present Minister of Education, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge, understood the value of education and that along with the President of the Community College, Dr. Dawson and his team would take the institution to higher heights.
Dr. Dawson, who chaired the press conference and provided further information about the College, gave a rundown of some of the activities, several of which have already been held, to mark the tenth anniversary of the institution. Other planned activities are being finalized. “Some of the things we will be doing during the year will be a tree-planting ceremony at the College site in the Long Path,” he explained. “A College Week is usually undertaken during the month of November, and this year it will be focused on the tenth anniversary of the institution. When we say the anniversary year, we mean from September 1, 2018 to August 31, 2019.
“We also intend to have special lectures. We will engage the College and the Board in some community outreach activities during which efforts will be made to obtain the community’s views about the impact of the College, thus far, and ideas for what should be our focus. We will also be sharing with the community some of the things that the College has done and is currently doing. We hope at some point in the year to have an anniversary dinner during which we will recognize appropriate persons for their contributions to the institution. We will also have monthly alumni profiles selected from among the graduates of the institution, and other activities involving staff and students.”
During the press conference, Mrs. Rhona Richardson-Roydon unveiled a plaque bearing the logo and the theme for the tenth anniversary of the Community College. The logo reads: “ACC at 10: Celebrating ten years, the Anguilla Community College.” The text of the theme is: “ACC at 10; Building people, community and nation.”
