Early History. System of Primary Education introduced in 1851. Mr. Keenan's Report on Education in Trinidad, 1869. Mr. Keenan's Suggestions in regard to Primary Schools and Education Ordinance of 1870. Provisions in regard to Secondary Education. Education Ordinance of 1875. School Fees made compulsory in 1875. Increase in Schools and Attendance from 1868 to 1898. Education Ordinance of 1890. Education Ordinances of 1901 and 1902. II. THE EXISTING SYSTEM-continued. A. PRIMARY EDUCATION-continued. Proportion of Certificated Teachers of different grades. A. (i.) The Elementary Education Ordinance, 1890. (ii.) The Elementary Education Amendment Ordinance, 1891. (vii.) The Education Amendment Ordinance, 1901. (viii.) The Education Ordinance, 1902. B. New Code of Rules under the Elementary Education Ordin- C. Extract from the Report of Select Committee of the Board of D. (i.) Report of the Commission appointed to enquire into the (ii.) Extract from Minute (No. 32) from the Governor with reference to the Report of the Commission on Free and Compulsory Education in Primary Schools. (1896.) (iii.) Extract from Minute (No. 65) from the Governor laying a Report by the Inspector of Schools dealing with the recommendations of the Commission on Free and Compulsory Education in Primary Schools. (1896.) THE SYSTEM OF EDUCATION IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO. I. HISTORICAL SKETCH. The Colony of Trinidad and Tobago comprises the two most southerly islands of the West Indian group, lying within twenty miles of one another, and about ten degrees north of the Equator. Trinidad, situated in immediate proximity to the north-east of South America, has an area of not quite 1,800 square miles. For 300 years after its discovery by Columbus in 1498 it remained a dependency of Spain, comparatively little being effected Early by that country towards its development; but for some years History. immediately prior to its capture by the British in 1797 there had been a considerable influx from the islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe and Hayti, of French families, who were, in numerous cases, accompanied by their slaves, to which cause may be traced the preponderance of a French element in a Colony which never belonged to France. In 1797 the population numbered not quite 18,000; the Roman Catholic was the established form of religion, and the prevailing languages were Spanish in some parts of the Island and a French patois in others. The use of the latter still widely prevails in many of the country districts, and in some parts of the Island Spanish is still commonly spoken, so that it frequently occurs in the Primary Schools that English has to be taught as a foreign language, not only in the case of French and Spanish speaking children, but also in that of East Indian children, to whom reference will be made later. Subsequent to 1797 the immigrants were chiefly such as professed some form of Protestantism. In 1834, the year of the emancipation of the slaves, the population was 43,678, consisting of 3,632 whites, 18,627 free coloured people, 20,657 slaves, and 762 aborigines. After the abolition of slavery, the scarcity of labour was so great that immigrants-chiefly free black from North America and coloured people from the neighbouring islands were imported at the public expense. In the first half of 1840 the number of immigrants of these classes was nearly 4,000-Africans liberated from captured slavers were also introduced into the island in considerable numbers. The supply of labour was, however, still unequal to the demand, and the Government turned their attention to the East Indies. In 1845 coolies from India were introduced for the first time, and immigrants of this class have since been regularly imported into the Colony. Annual Reports of the Inspector of Schools and other Reports on Education in Trinidad can be seen at the Board of Education Library, St. Stephen's House, Cannon Road, Whitehall, London, S.W. In the year 1851 the population was 69,600, and its heterogeneous nature, in respect both of nationalities and religions, may be seen from the following figures: I. In regard to nationalities there were : Born in Trinidad British Colonies Africa Foreign Countries 40,630 10,810 8,100 4,900 India 4,170 United Kingdom 730 System of Education in- 1851, Previous to the year of emancipation (1834) the children of the free classes alone received instruction from private teachers, whose qualifications were of the lowest standard. After the abolition of slavery, schools were established in several districts with the aid of funds bequeathed by Lady Mico for educational purposes; but they were soon afterwards closed. Other schools were then established by the several religious bodies, and were aided, but not superintended nor controlled by the Government. At the close of the first half of the nineteenth century, the number of such schools attended by some 1,000 children was about forty, and the aid given by the Government was between £1,000 and £2,000 in part payment of the salaries of the teachers. In 1851 a system of Primary Education was introduced by the Governor, Lord Harris, of which the following were the fundamental principles :- (a.) The formation of a Board of Education composed of the Governor, and such members, being laymen, as might be appointed by the Governor. (b.) The appointment of a salaried Inspector of Schools. (c.) The establishment of a training school for teachers of primary schools to be maintained from public funds. (d.) The establishment of primary schools in each of the wards into which the Colony was then divided, to be maintained entirely from the funds of the respective wards; whereupon the aid given to other schools in such wards was to be withdrawn. (e.) No fees were charged for admission to the primary schools. (f). The instruction to be given at the training and primary schools was to be secular, and without direct religious or doctrinal teaching. (9.) The training and primary schools were to be under the control of the Board of Education, and subject to the supervision of the Inspector of Schools. (h.) The teachers were to be appointed by the Board of Education, but no teacher was to be appointed before undergoing an examination by the Board, and receiving a certificate of competency. (i) At the primary schools instruction was to be provided not only for day scholars, but also for evening and adult classes. Schools in the boroughs of Port of Spain and San Fernando receiving aid from public funds were to be subject to inspection whilst receiving such aid. school estab Secondary Education continued for a time to be left to private Government enterprise, but in 1859 there was established in Port of Spain, the secondary principal town of the Island, a secondary school for boys, under lished in the management of the Board of Education, and maintained from 1859. public funds. It received the name of the Queen's Collegiate School, and was open to students of any religious denomination. No direct religious teaching was to be given; but attendance at some place of worship was to be a condition of admittance to and continuance at the school. The fees charged were to be paid into the Colonial Treasury, and were fixed at £15 a year for one pupil, £12 a year each for two of the same family, and £9 a year each for three or more of the same family. Two exhibitions of £150 a year each for three years were offered for competition at annual public examinations. In the system of education which was thus established no charge was introduced until the year 1870. During this interval the opinion of the Roman Catholic community in regard to Lord Harris's scheme had veered from acquiescence to a most uncompromising opposition to the principle of secular education whilst opinion amongst the clergy and the laity of other denominations appears to have been divided. Primary schools had been established throughout the Island, in addition to the ward schools, by the clergy of the various denominations without aid from public funds; and in Port of Spain a Roman Catholic secondary school for boys, carried on without State aid, had reached an attendance of over 100. In 1869, Mr. (afterward Sir) P. J. Keenan, at that time an Mr. Keenan's Inspector of Schools under the Commissioners of National Educa- report on Education in tion in Ireland, and subsequently himself Resident Commissioner, Trinidad, who had been selected by the Secretary of State for the Colonies 1869, to inquire into and report* upon the state of Education in Trinidad, gave the following list of the schools (whether aided by the Government or not) which he visited and examined : Mr. Keenan's Report can be seen at the Board of Education Library, St. Stephen's House, Cannon Row, Whitehall, London, S.W. 8374 M 2 |