End of an era; SJC extension closes its doors

St. John’s College Extension Department, after fifty-six years of service to Belize, has closed its doors permanently.  It was announced in February 2011, under the presidency of Frank Garbutt, that the Jesuit institution would be phasing out its Adult Continuing Education program over a two-year period.  Since the Ministry of Education began offering high school equivalency curricula a few years ago, SJC has been seeking new opportunities, including a pilot program for its junior college division.  The department, we understand, was also struggling to remain afloat financially.  It’s enrolment at the time of the announcement stood at three hundred and ten students.  On Sunday, the graduating class of 2013, a final cohort of sixty-seven students, attended a commencement exercise at the Fordyce Chapel.  In the wake of the closure, the school’s administration has remained relatively quiet.  The faculty, on the other hand, is busy settling arrangements for the clearing of classrooms.  News Five has made several attempts to get a comment from SJC, but there has been no response.