In January 1978, an announcement was made by the then Prime Minister of
Jamaica, The Rt. Hon. Micheal Manley, that the government of Cuba was making a grant to Jamaica in the form of learning institutions.
These included Jose Marti Secondary, Garvey Maceo and G.C.Foster College.
The G.C.Foster was established in Spanish Town and its purpose was to train
teachers and coaches for the important task of Physicla Education in Jamaica, with special emphasis on serving the Ministry
of Sports.
In March of that year, a joint team consisting of the representatives from
the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Development, and officers of the Agency for Public Information (A.P.I.) went to
Cuba. This was to have an idea of what similiar situation looked like and their relevance to the Jamaican situation. On their
return, a report was made which indicated that substancial modifications would be necessary because the Cuban institutions
were serving a society with a different social culture.
Consequently, a Curriculum Commission was established under the chairmanship
of Mr. Leslie Johnstone, the then director of vocational training in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Development.
The G.C.Foster College was completed and finally opened in 1980 after a
joint work effort between Cuban and Jamaican workers. The institution was named after a great pioneer sportsman of Jamaica,
Mr. Gerald Claude Eugene Foster, a versitile and adept sportsman specialising in Track and Field and Cricket.
