Education College’s reunion relives 44 years

Over 300 graduates of the former Transvaal College of Education (TCE), from all over South Africa, recently came together for a historic and memorable reunion of alumni held at Nirvana Secondary School in Lenasia. The event served to relive the 44 year history of an institution that produced 3 500 graduates.
Retired local educator, Solly Hassen, who attended the event with his wife Shahida, explained that the story of TCE was deeply interwoven with significant periods in South Africa’s history. “Ismail Vadi, the current MEC for Transport in Gauteng, dissected the political, social and historical eras which saw TCE being established in 1954 as the Nationalist Party grappled with the ‘Indian Question’. The second era was marked by the establishment of the House of Delegates and the attempt to co-opt the Indian community into separate development policies. The third and final era of the institution saw the move of the Fordsburg campus to Laudium in 1982 and its closure by 1998.
Addressing guests, Hassen reminded everyone how aspiring teachers from the rural north ventured to TCE in Johannesburg to obtain their teaching qualifications
“In the timeless TCE tradition the evening ended on the dance floor and guests revelled late into the night. The event was historic in its broad representation of the generational mix of teachers who qualified from TCE over a 44 year period,” he said.

Story: BARRY VILJOEN
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