FAITHFUL TO THE VISION, a history of the Grahamstown Teachers' Training College, 1894-1975

159pp., illus., paperback, Reprint NiSC, Grahamstown, (2018) 2025

ISBN: 9781920033279

Grahamstown Teachers' Training College was established and owned by the Community of the Resurrection of Our Lord, an Anglican religious order for women. It was officially recognised in 1894 for the training of young white women in primary school education. Entirely run by women, the college operated for 81 years, and was known for its focus on practical, professional training and holistic education, pioneering several innovations in education. It was the first to introduce class music and class singing and the assignment method of study, to employ a physical education teacher and have a full-time librarian and elocutionist.

Eric Kelly was a student at Rhodes University from 1957-1960. He taught in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Lesotho and spent 30 years working in the Free State as an ordained minister of the Anglican Church. Now retired, he lives in Grahamstown. This book is based on Kelly's thesis, submitted to Rhodes University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 2016.