Figure 1.--Here we seevJamaican school childrem listening to a radio brosdcast. We are not sure just hen the photograph was taken, but would guess the 1940s. At the time, many of the children wold not hve had radios in their homes. |
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The Amerindians who originally populated Jamaica did not have schools. The Spanisg who originally colonized Jamaica, may have a few, but we have no information about them. England seized control of Jamaica (1660). This was about the same time that the sugar industry had begun to develop in Brazil and the Caribbean. And as a result a major expansion of the Atlantic slave trade. As a result, Jamaica and other Caribbean sugar islands became primarily populted by captive Africans. The English founded some schools for the white colonists, but not for the slave children. Some basic schools were orgnized by the more enligtened slave owners and the missionryscocities who began the campign against slavery. After emancipation thre was no major effort to educate the former slaves. Gradully some effots, began, in part a reaction to the Morant Bay Rebellion (1865). Britain was not a leader in public education. Troughout much of the 29thcentury there was resistance to educating the English working class. A nation effort in England only began in the late-19th century (1870).
So it ws no surprise that thre was no effort to found public school systems in the colonies. A comprehensive free public education was not launced until a century after emancipation as Jamaica began toward independence (1944). Britain granted independence (1962). Jamaica became a fully independent country nNation and a member of the British Commonwealth. Jamaica becoming an Independent Nation, now meant that Britain, no longer controlled the affairs of the country.Jamaican educators after independence popularized the idea of developing 'homegrown' responses to economic, social, and political issues, including education. Educational methods and curriculum continued to be heavily influenced by Britain.
Jamaica was colonized by Spain. With Columbus' first voyage (1492), the Caribbean essentially became a Spanish lake. It became known as the Spanish Main. At first the only other vessels who ventured into the Caribbean were priveteers, most importantly the English Sea Dogs authorized by Queen Elizabeth to capture the Spanish treasure ships. The size of Spain and the wealth of the Indies allowed Spain to buld a massive fleet, but the wealth was not invested in improving the quality of the ships, guns, and sailors. This reflected Spanish Government policies. The wealth of the Indies was used to purchase items from the rest of Europe rather than to develop production and industries in Spain. Not did Spain expand education like other countries, especially Protestant countries. Potestantism promoted education in aay that Catholcism did not. The Inquisition was a factor. The 16th and 17th centuries were a time of intelectual advance in sciences with important advnces in the sciences. In human history, often wealth os a factor in such artistic and intelectual advances, but this was not the case for Spain. The Inquisition did not incourage intelectual inquiry. Spain squandered vast quantities of its wealth to destroy Protestantism. Which of course led to the Spanish Armada which King Philip II ordered to invade Ebgland, depose Queen Elizabeth, and seize the country (1588). We know nothing about education in Spanish colonial Jamaica. We know of no schools, but some may have existed. Wealthy families would have hired tutors. Older youths may have been sent back to Spain for education. .
Given the wealth flowing into Spain from the Indies, the other European powers wanted in on the riches. And unlike Spain, they were making advances in many naval related areas, ship design, nvigation, gunnery, and other areas. This became apparent with the succes of the Sea Dogs and the failure of the Armada. The other Europeans were not content with merely seizing Spanish treasure ships. They wanted colonies of their own. As a result, they began seizing Caribbean islands. Some had beem colonized by Spain. Some smaller islands, seeminly of no value, were not yey colonized. Fairly early in the colonil era, the Spainish inerest shifted to me mainlnd where Ameri-Indian cultures had created rich empires (1510s). England began in colonial expasion with a failed colony in what is now North Carolina (1585) followed by Jamestown in Virgina (1607). The first Caribbean colony was Barbados (1627). The British seized Jamaica (1660). It would be the only island in the Geater Antilles that they wouls seize. The British seized many Caribbean islands, but except for Jamaica, only small island. Taking an island with a large foreign population is much more difficult.
The Caribbean islands, especially the smaller islands were of little value, in the 16th century. The primary value was to supply the Spanish treasure ships plying between the routes between Cartagena and Spain. The sugar industry changed this. Suddenly valueless islands, even small islands, like Barbados became the mot valuable realestate in the world. The larger islands like Jamaica and Haiti (the western part of Santo Domingo) seized by the French produced immense wealth. This and the sugar industry in Brazil was the heart of the Atlantic slave trade which increased in size and proportion.
England seized Jamaica (1660). Jamaica was thus the only British colony in the Greater Antilles. Thus it almot entire educational history is British. The education system is modeled after the British system. Britain was not, however, a leader in public education. So it would be some time before schools began to be established in any number. As a result of the sugar industry, into the 19th century, most of the population was slaves. There were no schools for slaves. Caribbean slave plantations were essentially death camps. The poulation was not self-sutaining and concant shipments of captured africans were needed to maintain tne work force. As far as we can tell many white children were educated by tutors at home. We have found little information about Jamaican schools before Enancipation. Many of the rich planters sent their sons, but rarely their daughters, back to the mother country for schooling. Others hired private tutors. There appear to be a few 'free' schools, but we know very little about them. Other whites sent their sons to one of the 'free' schools that were established, mostly from bequests donated by wealthy planters and merchants. The curriculum in the free schools was based on that offered by similar schools in Britain. There were not yet any public schools in Britain, at ;east in the modern sence of free state-sponsored schools. The schools were designed "to offer a classical education to young gentlemen so that they would be properly fitted to take their place in society." A few slave children received some schooling at plantation schools established by foreign missionaries, but their education dealt mostly with religion and the virtues of submission. At least some of these plantation schools provided education for girls as well as boys. They wrw a very small part of the slave population. We know nothing about the education of girls in Jamaica. The earliest information we have found is a report on n Wolmer's Free School (1770). Here we have a modified curriculum for girls. This girl's curriculum was ment to prepare young girls to run a home or for employment in some of the few employments availavle for women, as seamstresses and mantuamakers. A few talented girls were also able to find teaching positions.
The Act of Emancipation began the freeing of the island's slave (1834). Once slavery was abolished in Jamaica in 1834, the British begin to see education as an important means towards incorporating the ex-slaves into the colonial economy and to increase the odds of maintaining a peaceful lower class. It was a slow process. After all there was still resiistance to educating the Btitish working classes. And Britain did not set about etanlishing a free publich school system (1870). The first steps toward educating the former slaves were taken missionary societies which had campaigned so long for emancipation. developed a system of elementary education for the newly freed slaves. This system was taken over by the colonial government beginning in the 1860s. Government sponsorship of Jamaicam secular education was in part a response to the Morant Bay Rebellion (1865), conflict between propertied classes nd the former slaves.
Missionary socities began the limited education of former slave children (1830s). The colonial government began to get involved (1860s). The Jamaican school system expanded slowly in the late-19th and early-20 century. The purpose of these schools was to educate Japaican children to fit what was seen as their station in life. The British began leaving Jamaica as the economy lnguished. The p[ulation became more andmor people of African or mixed-race origins. This Jamaicans haad to be trained for mid-level jobs that were once filled by the British. This was the origin od the country's secondary schools. The Government even began offering scholarships for university study abroad.
A comprehensive free public education was not launced until a century after emancipation as Jamaica began toward independence (1944). Britain granted independence (1962). Jamaica became a fully independent country nNation and a member of the British Commonwealth. Jamaica becoming an Independent Nation, now meant that Britain, no longer controlled the affairs of the country.Jamaican educators after independence popularized the idea of developing 'homegrown' responses to economic, social, and political issues, including education. Educational methods and curriculum continued to be heavily influenced by Britain.
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