“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet”. These famous words by well-known Greek philosopher Aristotle, were echoed by Shaunette Small, Valedictorian of the Erdiston Teachers’ Training College (ETTC) 2025 graduating class. 

The graduation ceremony, which was held last Saturday evening at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill, St. Michael, saw the commencement of over 150 graduates.

“A few years ago, we stood at the threshold of our educational journey, blissfully unaware of what lay ahead.  Some of us were anxious, some were even scared of the unknown, while others were excited to be in the classroom again, as students,” she shared.

Ms. Small cited a quote by American Librarian John Cotton Dana, who said: “who dares to teach must never cease to learn”, stating that this is confirmation that “we were in the right place at the right time, at the Erdiston Teachers’ Training College”.

She added: “For us to continue being learners to leaders in education, as expressed in our theme, it is pivotal for us to strive for excellence in all we do.”

The Valedictorian provided an illustration to mirror the journey of the graduating class using the acronym S-T-R-I-V-E: Success; Trials; Reflection; Integrate; Vision and Effective.

Ms. Small expressed gratitude to the Principal and Deputy Principal of the ETTC and also to the administrative staff, the ancillary staff, and custodians, families and friends.

“Thank you for always being readily available to assist us in any capacity and for making the campus environment conducive for learning. To our families, friends, and well-wishers, we thank you for your love and support. Without you, this journey would not be possible.”

The ETTC’s outstanding student took the opportunity to address and encourage her colleagues, saying: “Fellow graduands, as we have reached the end of this journey, may we endeavour to let our light shine brightly where there is darkness. Believe in yourself, be strong, never give up, no matter what the circumstances. You are [champions] and will overcome the dreaded obstacles. Be your best and don’t ever, ever give up…We are learners to leaders in education”.  (PR/GIS)

The Erdiston Teachers’ Training College has announced its top students preceding this year’s graduation ceremony scheduled for Saturday, May 17, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

The seven top students (five females and two males) are as follows:

• Shaunette Small – Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Leadership
• Richelle Vaughan – Diploma in Education (Primary)
• Krystal Byer – Technical and Vocational Teachers’ Training Programme (Adult Education)
• Shamel Edwards – Bachelors in Education (Primary)
• Nicole Lynch – Postgraduate Diploma in Special Education
• Keandre Doughty – In-Service Certificate (Physical Education)
• Rollinson Wiggins -Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Secondary)

In an interview, valedictorian Shaunette Small shared that she pursued her Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Leadership after being promoted as a Senior Teacher at the Daryll Jordan Secondary school.  

“I believe it was necessary for me to get some of the skills, especially communication and interacting with staff, in order to benefit the students. So, my main goal was that the course would help me to get along with the teachers and to show me how to work with them.

“I’m a hard worker. I believe in lifelong learning. I love to study. Before coming to Erdiston Teachers’ Training College, I heard a lot of teachers in the past speak about their experiences and how they would not come back, and I am going to tell you some of those teachers were sitting at my table in the programme, and they have all changed their minds.”

The valedictorian shared that the tutors were caring and supportive and taught her and her colleagues to realise that all teachers in the classroom are leaders, not only the principal. She added: “As long as you stand before children and you want to make a change, you are a leader.”

Ms. Small continued: “As we move on with our transformation in education, it is important that whatever we do in the classroom, we sit back, and we look. How are the children learning? Are we really making a difference in the classroom?

“All children can learn, and they are there to learn, and it is our duty as educators to ensure that whatever we do is for the benefit of the children and not for ourselves.”

She explained that children who are treated with love, and shown support, will succeed.  “In every child…in each child, there is something positive, but you have to search for it.  I endorse everything that the education system stands for. There is need for a transformation, but it’s up to us, the leaders, the teachers and the stakeholders to ensure that our children, at the end of the day, will benefit and succeed as much as they can. 

“We are preparing children to be global leaders wherever they go, and it is up to us to ensure that at the end of the day we can sit back and say, I am pleased; I am proud of what I did because those will be the legacy that we have for the future,” Ms. Small stated. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Outstanding students of the Erdiston Teachers’ Training College’s 2025 graduating class (from left to right)Valedictorian Shaunette Small; Shamel Edwards; Richelle Vaughan; Krystal Byer; Keandre Doughty; and Rollinson Wiggins. Missing is Nicole Lynch. 

Barbadians here and in the diaspora now have the opportunity to hear narrated stories about this island’s history and ‘characters’ through the National Library Service’s (NLS) “Radio Bimshire: Voice of the National Library Service Barbados” audio online platform.

The platform was launched today at the NLS’ Fairchild Street headquarters.

Director of the NLS, Jennifer Yarde, and its former Deputy Director, Evonda Callender, encouraged all Barbadians to listen to the stories and expressed how happy they were to have reached such a significant milestone in preserving and sharing Barbados’ oral history.

Ms. Yarde stated that “Radio Bimshire emerges as a bold new chapter” in the NLS’ offerings, where persons can listen to the lived experiences of people from every parish and walk of life. She said the audio platform, https://bit.ly/radiobimshire, offers free online access to these stories while promoting digital literacy and inclusivity.

“It is more than a streaming platform; it is a cultural sunscape built to honour, preserve, and share the spoken word legacy of Barbados, from the market vendors in Bridgetown to the elders recalling village life, from the rhythms of the tuk band to the recollections of the historic moments of the 1937 disturbances. Radio Bimshire turns these stories into a living archive. Now, through streaming and podcast, people from all over the world can connect with Barbados’ culture anytime, anywhere,” the Director said.

She also stressed that sharing Barbados’ oral history is important in understanding its heritage and identity.

“It is through our oral history that we hear not just about great national events, but about how ordinary people lived, worked, celebrated, mourned, and made meaning of their world. It could be a formal interview, or it could be a story passed down from generations, from folklore to family stories. Oral history is how we always make sense of our world, or pass on what matters most,” Ms. Yarde stated.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Callender explained how the information was gathered for “Radio Bimshire”.

She disclosed that in 1986, while at the NLS conducting interviews for its oral history project, she felt it was important to have first-hand recorded accounts from persons on subject matters of historical significance, including the 1937 Riots, the Constitutional Conference, the train service to Belleplaine, St. Andrew, and the process of turning flour bags into clothing.

Ms. Callender said: “We went out to collect and preserve the history of Barbados, … the real history of Barbados, without sugarcoating or hiding important details, in all its formats, whether it was popular or unpopular, it needed to be said.”

The former Deputy Director stated that the NLS should continue to carry out its mandate of collecting, preserving, retrieving, and providing in-depth information in all formats to enrich, empower, and inform the public, especially on the history of Barbados.

“We need to collect it. We need to gather it; it’s going to be controversial, … but we are the library. We have no political alliance to no one. What you’re supposed to do is collect the history of the country in every format, both print and non-print, and make it available to all the generations to come. The library’s mission is to collect the heritage of Barbados in all formats, whether it’s from a rum shop, whether it is a brothel, wherever it is you go, collect it,” Ms. Callender stressed.

People who visit the website will hear recordings such as Dumplings in De Stew – One For The Road, Ossie Moore stories, and others written by Jeanette Layne-Clarke and Addington Forde, and narrated by Alfred Pragnell, Marvo Manning, Tony Thompson, and others. 

The NLS aims to upload more content soon to the site on the History of Barbados, including the 1937 Riots, events during the 1940s and 1950s, the Birth of Adventism in Barbados, and more, as told by the late historians Dr. Karl Watson, Trevor Marshall, and Professor Pedro Welch. (PR/GIS)

Caption: West Terrace Primary student, Yuri Nicholls, performed the “ceremonial turning on” of  Radio Bimshire at the National Library Service while “Grandma” looks on