HYACINTH Bennett’s Hydel Group of Schools will in September add a teachers’ college to its campus. Registration for the new tertiary institution, the Hydel University College, will begin tomorrow.

In a release to the media, Bennett said the university will be able to accommodate 300 students and will offer degree and diploma level courses in early childhood and primary education on both a part-time and full-time basis.

“The programme to be offered by the Hydel University College is geared towards pre-trained teachers already on the job, young people who are considering becoming teachers, as well as trained teachers who already have a diploma, but desire an upgrade to a Bachelor’s degree in education,” Hydel said.

Retired vice-principal of academic affairs and student matters at the Mico University College, Kay Anderson and former vice-president, Burnett Burton, will train successful applicants at the new college.

Student-teachers will also benefit from ongoing teaching experience at the Group’s nursery, pre-school junior and senior preparatory and high schools, Hydel said.

Hydel was last year thrown into the spotlight after reports emerged that the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) spent $168.7 million to purchase six and a half acres of land at Ferry, St Catherine where the school is located.

The purchase brought howls of disapproval from Opposition parliamentarians who accused the Government of purchasing the lands to bail out Bennett, a Government senator.