Nova Scotia Teachers College
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Nova Scotia Teachers College is a former university that was located in the town of Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Founded as the Provincial Normal School, the college was established by an act of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, which received Royal Assent on March 31, 1854. At its official opening on Prince Street in Truro's downtown core on November 14, 1855, its first principal, the Reverend Dr. Alexander Forrester, described the school's objective to be "the training or the qualifying of Teachers for the better and more efficient discharge of the duties of their important office."
In 1857 a model school was opened to provide facilities for teaching practice. In 1878 the original normal school building was replaced, and in 1900 a science building was added to the complex.
In 1909 the name of the Provincial Normal School was changed to the Provincial Normal College; this was changed again in 1951 to the Nova Scotia Normal College, a designation that was retained until the 1961 move to the Arthur Street campus when the institution was renamed the Nova Scotia Teachers College.
Throughout the years the institution broadened its training and improved the qualifications of its graduates. In 1932 Junior Matriculation (grade 11) became the minimum entrance requirement, and in 1961 the one-year program was superceded by a two-year program of teacher education beyond Nova Scotia grade 12.
A three year integrated program, originally established on an optional basis, was the basic program from 1972 to 1989. This program led to a diploma with the academic title of "Associate in Education of the Nova Scotia Teachers College."
In 1981 an agreement was reached with all Nova Scotia institutions offering pre-service teacher education, to offer a joint degree to students completing the A.Ed. (NSTC). The program consisted of five full courses, or thirty semester hours, at the institution of the student's choice and led to the awarding of the B.Ed. degree jointly by the consenting university and the Nova Scotia Teachers College.
In 1989 the Nova Scotia Teachers College was granted degree-granting status by the Nova Scotia government and the college entered into an affiliation agreement with Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax which saw NSTC grant a Bachelor of Education degree. The B.Ed. degrees were granted in the name of both institutions to students who successfully completed the four year NSTC program of studies and read "Nova Scotia Teachers College in association with Mount Saint Vincent University." This became the basic teacher education program of NSTC until its closure.
In 1994 the college community and its many supporters were shocked by the provincial government's decision to consolidate education programs offered by Nova Scotian universities. Programs at NSTC, as well as UCCB, Dalhousie, and Saint Mary's were identified for closure, with B.Ed. degrees to be offered in Nova Scotia only at St. Francis Xavier, Acadia, Mount St. Vincent, and Sainte-Anne.
In 1997 the last class graduated from the Nova Scotia Teachers College and the campus was turned over to the Nova Scotia Community College, becoming the NSCC Truro campus.
