Faithful to the Vision

A child’s primary education is of vital importance. It requires well-trained teachers with a professional approach to their work. Faithful to the Vision is the story of a teachers’ training college which set about preparing teachers of that very calibre. It is the history of the Grahamstown Teachers’ Training College.

The emphasis in the College was on the practical professional training offered. The focus was on the holistic education of the student, rather than merely on the content of the curriculum. Faithful to the Vision shows that the Training College more than earned its reputation as one of the finest training colleges in South Africa and that it was a unique educational development.

This Training College was a trail-blazer, a pioneer in the field of education practices. It was the first college in South Africa to introduce class music and class singing, the first to employ a physical education teacher, to have a full-time librarian and elocutionist, and it was at this Training College that the assignment method of study was introduced. All these innovations are highlighted in this book.

Reviewer's Comments

I have enjoyed [the book], Eric, and admire the care and exactitude, the enthusiasm and generosity of your undertaking. You often made me smile and curious and concerned and I watched your careful delineation of the Training College’s demise with real sadness. It’s another world, isn’t it, now all gone… - Wendy S. Jacobson, Professor Emeritus, Rhodes University, South Africa