ACCREDITATION IN ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES: A TIMELINE OF IMPORTANT EVENTS

Tuesday September 23, 2014 — (WEFM) — There has been much talk lately about accreditation here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, in light of the recent rouse surrounding whether or not Associate Degree Courses offered by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College are accredited.

Here is a timeline of important events relating to accreditation in St. Vincent and the Grenadines from when the journey started to present:

 – 2006 –

The National Accreditation Board, hereafter referred to as “NAB” was established under the authority of the Further and Higher Education (Accreditation) Act 2006.

One of its functions is “To register institutions within and outside St. Vincent and the Grenadines which offer programmes of study in St. Vincent and the Grenadines delivered by face-to-face or distance learning modality or a combination of both”.

– 2008 –

The National Accreditation Board (NAB) came into existence in 2008 with Mr. Kelvin Malcolm as the Executive Director and Dr. Rosalind Ambrose as the Chairperson of the Board. Mr. Malcolm is no longer with the NAB. However, Senior Education Officer Descima Hamilton has been managing the Unit with support from an administrative assistant.

– June 2012 –

On June 7th and 8th 2012 The NAB in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and Pearson/Edexcel International  conducted a workshop to, among other things, assist providers / facilitators / agents with the process of completing their Application for the registration of their services with the National Accreditation Board. – (The Caribbean Area Network for quality assurance in tertiary education, 2012)

– September 2013 –

The National Accreditation Board (NAB) launched its 2013 Accreditation Awareness Campaign. – (NBC Radio News, 2013)

– November, 2013 –

Monday November 11, 2013 – Five (5) academic institutions were offered the status of being registered to operate in the state of St. Vincent and the Grenadines by the NAB.

These institutions are the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College, the National Centre of Technological Innovation (NCTI), the Trinity School of Medicine, the All Saints University and the St. James School of Medicine.

Several evaluators were also certified by the NAB. This type of certification allows the evaluators to assess the status and quality of academic institutions in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.                                                                                                                                                  – (NBC Radio News, 2013)

– June 2014 –

On June 17, 2014, the NAB held a conference featuring Curtis Floyd, Director of Accreditation and Quality Enhancement with the Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago in an effort to benefit from the sharing of regional experiences with matters of accreditation, including challenges.

Floyd revealed that here in the Caribbean “we just have maybe about three…[accreditation bodies].. the ACCT in Trinidad, the Barbados Accreditation Council and the UCJ in Jamaica – which are the three really established bodies that have been operating some years now”.

“In most of the other territories, they are now in the process of establishing their accreditation bodies and this will help to of course monitor whatever is being offered in the country and to safe-guard the interest of the students….” he further noted.

– September 2014 –

Wednesday September 17, 2014 – Opposition Leader in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Arnhim Eustace told a media conference – that “For the record the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College is not on the UWI list of accepted tertiary institutions in any of the campus territories. Not accepted in Jamaica, not accepted in Trinidad not accepted in Barbados,” according to IWitness News.

“This means that if you have an associate degree from the Community College and you wish to go to UWI, the university will not give any credit to your degree.” – I Witness News further reported Eustace as saying.

Thursday September 18, 2014 – the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College (SVGCC) responded sharply to this statement, by publishing a list of Associate Degree Courses on its facebook page, confirming to a great extend that most of the Courses are indeed accepted and recognized by the University of the West Indies.

A digital copy of the letter sent to the Ministry of Education by UWI’s Pro Vice Chancellor – Professor Allan G Cobley

The University’s Pro Vice Chancellor in a letter to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education confirmed the College’s statement.

Nigel Scott, the SVGCC’s Deputy Director noted that “accreditation is a process” as he responded to the claims.

By: D.McTair

A Photo of a joint graduation ceremony held by the College in the past. *Photo taken from the College’s website*

Research Officer – WEFM News