Dunedin Teachers' Training College

The Dunedin College of Education (Te Kura Akau Taitoka, also known as Dunedin Teachers' College) was a former teacher training college in Dunedin, New Zealand. Founded in 1876, the college was the oldest teacher training college in New Zealand. In 2004, it merged with the University of Otago's Faculty of Education to form the University of Otago College of Education. The Dunedin College of Education's motto was maxima debetur pueris reverentia (the child deserves the greatest respect). History The Dunedin College of Education's roots can be traced back to the Dunedin Training College, which was established in 1876 to provide training for primary school teachers. The Presbyterian scholar, educator, historian, and social worker Dr John Hislop is regarded as the "godfather" of the Dunedin Training College. The first rector of the Training College was W.S. Fitzgerald. Over the next decades, the Dunedin Training College continued supplying teachers to primary schools. During the First World War, it functioned as a secondary school to meet the shortfall in the new students' knowledge base. During the Great Depression, the Dunedin Training College was closed down in January 1933 due to austerity measures. The college remained closed until 1936 when it was reopened by the newly elected First Labour Government, which adopted Keynesian social security policies. During the post-World War II baby boom, the Dunedin Training College supplied both primary and secondary teachers to meet the growing population demand. In 1953, the Dunedin Training College was renamed the Dunedin Teachers' College to reflect a nationwide naming trend for similar teacher training facilities throughout New Zealand. During the post-war period, the college expanded its teacher education programmes to include undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and graduate diplomas in early childhood, primary and primary bilingual and secondary teacher education. In 1980, the college established a satellite campus in Invercargill. In addition, teacher support services were established at its Dunedin and its Invercargill campus. In 1976, the college cooperated with the University of Otago's Faculty of Education to provide a four-year joint Bachelor of Education degree. In 1989, the college was renamed the Dunedin College of Education.