MEMOIR SEORANG PESARA….NO.56….THE KIRKBY COLLEGE WAS CLOSED IN 1962
2017/11/24SUBMITTED BY NGINAPSRENGENGE
THE CLOSING CHAPTER OF MTTC, KIRKBY
I would like to refer to the article “The Kirkby name lives on” which appeared in THE STAR on 29 May, 2005.
As far as the two-year Teacher Training Course is concerned it is true the College was established in 1951 and closed down in 1961. However, KIRKBY lived on for another two years after 1960. In January, 1961 a batch of 150 Teacher-Trainers, some of whom were ex-Kirkbyites, arrived in Kirkby for a One-year Teacher-Trainers’ Course. There they met the two-year Course Trainees before they completed their course in August or December, 1961. The Malayan Government sent another batch of Teacher-Trainers in January, 1962 for a similar course. Some of the former Kirkbyites met their lecturers, Mr. J. Struthers, Maths. Lecturer and Folk Dance Instructor, Miss McBain, P.E. Lecturer, Mr. J. Kennedy, History Lecturer, Mr. Jones, Geography Lecturer, Mr. Walker, English Lecturer and last but not least, our Principal, Papa Gurney.
In December, 1962 we completed our Course and the College was officially closed down.
On their return to Malaya these last two batches of Teacher-Trainers were appointed to hold positions of different capacities. Some were appointed to be Heads of Lower Secondary Schools and Heads of Secondary Continuation Schools while others were appointed as Trainers to train the Teacher-Trainees of these two newly-established schools on week-ends, quite similar to the Normal-Class Teacher-Trainees’ Course in the ‘50s.
Quite surprisingly no mention was made at the 50th Anniversary in 2001 to have their group photograph (Teacher-Trainers of 1962) taken with the 1961 Teacher-Trainers.
To sum up, MTTC, Kirkby had trained about 1,500 teachers from 1951 to 1961 and 300 teacher-trainers in two years, 1961 and 1962. Kirkby College was officially closed in December, 1962.
As far as the two-year Teacher Training Course is concerned it is true the College was established in 1951 and closed down in 1961. However, KIRKBY lived on for another two years after 1960. In January, 1961 a batch of 150 Teacher-Trainers, some of whom were ex-Kirkbyites, arrived in Kirkby for a One-year Teacher-Trainers’ Course. There they met the two-year Course Trainees before they completed their course in August or December, 1961. The Malayan Government sent another batch of Teacher-Trainers in January, 1962 for a similar course. Some of the former Kirkbyites met their lecturers, Mr. J. Struthers, Maths. Lecturer and Folk Dance Instructor, Miss McBain, P.E. Lecturer, Mr. J. Kennedy, History Lecturer, Mr. Jones, Geography Lecturer, Mr. Walker, English Lecturer and last but not least, our Principal, Papa Gurney.
In December, 1962 we completed our Course and the College was officially closed down.
On their return to Malaya these last two batches of Teacher-Trainers were appointed to hold positions of different capacities. Some were appointed to be Heads of Lower Secondary Schools and Heads of Secondary Continuation Schools while others were appointed as Trainers to train the Teacher-Trainees of these two newly-established schools on week-ends, quite similar to the Normal-Class Teacher-Trainees’ Course in the ‘50s.
Quite surprisingly no mention was made at the 50th Anniversary in 2001 to have their group photograph (Teacher-Trainers of 1962) taken with the 1961 Teacher-Trainers.
To sum up, MTTC, Kirkby had trained about 1,500 teachers from 1951 to 1961 and 300 teacher-trainers in two years, 1961 and 1962. Kirkby College was officially closed in December, 1962.
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