Four-dimensional motivation for education in Tobago, 1828-1838

Dr Rita Pemberton

THE QUESTION of education for the African population assumed importance when it became clear that the intolerance of the enslaved population across the region had become elevated to such levels that it would be impossible to maintain peace in the region. By 1830 it was clear that emancipation was inevitable and, in the quest to provide a smooth path to emancipation with minimal social disruption, the need for a civilising mechanism was also recognised. It is to be noted that the success of such an operation was dependent on four groups, each of which was motivated by different factors.

For the imperial government, education was the key to post-emancipation stability in the region. The imperial administration was not prepared to make the heavy financial outlays that would be required to defend the colonies in the event of regional resistance wars against enslavement, but, in addition, the prospect of a repeat of the Haitian situation with the associated social upheaval had to be avoided.

Hence it was considered appropriate and cost-effective to support a civilising mechanism which was best implemented through the churches, the established church in particular. As a result, the imperial government authorised a survey of the existing facilities, and the resulting Latrobe “Report on Negro Education” revealed the existing education institution in each colony, the quality of education that was offered, with comments on the assistance that was required to improve the service.

On Tobago, this report indicated that there were two types of schools on the island: those that were established and run by charitable institutions and those which operated on plantations with permission from the owners, both with church influences.

Before the onset of full freedom in 1838, six estates in Tobago offered or planned to offer education to their enslaved populations. In the parish of St David there were two schools, one in Plymouth at Great Courland Bay, which was attended by very young children. The other school, located at Les Coteaux, was housed in a room close to the master’s house and run by the curate who lived on the estate.

In Roxborough in the parish of St Paul, the school was located near to the beach to facilitate easy access by the children from inland estates. The building was provided with an apartment on the upper storey to house the couple who served as schoolmaster and mistress, but the land on which it stood was not yet vested in the church.

At Barbados Bay, at the Hope, a school was being erected on the beach to make it easy for the nearby estates. The land and building were donated by a planter, and it was expected that there would be assistance from the Assembly.

In the parish of St Paul, a school had been in the planning stage for months. It was considered desirable to locate this school on the ridge at Lambeau Hill because the children from estates in the vicinity of Tyrell’s Bay to the north were completely isolated from desirable religious and other influences. These plans were plagued by an inability to obtain land and funds to construct and outfit the building due to lack of planter support, which was caused by the shortage of labourers in this part of the island.

Noticeably, there was no other school in this district except for a small school at Murchinson Estate 40 miles away. It is not surprising that some of the strongest adherence to African traditional practices were evident in this part of the island.

There were plans for the establishment of a school at Mt Pleasant in the parish of St Andrew. These plans were heavily debated since the initial proposal was upscaled to a Gothic chapel that was much more elaborate than the available funds would allow. After several revisions the plan was scaled down to a simple chapel school, like the one established at St Lawrence in Barbados.

The Boys and Girls Free School, established in Scarborough, originated from the free coloured population who sought to provide a sound Anglican education for their children. It was established by a committee chaired by the bishop of the diocese, under the patronage of the lieutenant governor, and was supported by legislative grants and voluntary donations.

The boys school occupied, rent free, the building which was a chapel owned by the London Missionary Society and was maintained by the committee. The girls school first occupied a building that was later demolished, and a new building was under construction with support from charitable bodies. Assistance was given to children of the poor and orphans. Since its operation in 1828, its graduates have become apprenticed accountants, printers, carpenters and bakers.

Some left the island or moved to other schools or, having learnt to read and write, left school. In addition, Sunday schools and day schools were established on the leeward side of the island.

Scarborough Sunday school was run by the Wesleyan Missionary Society which had no day school on the island but planned to open a school in the centre of the island at Indian Walk, in the Mason Hall area, but the necessary permission had not yet been obtained from England.

The St Georges Day School, established at the Hope, was run by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, an Anglican organisation, as were the day schools at Plymouth and Les Coteau.

The Montpelier Day School, located about a mile and a half from Scarborough, near to the estate works, was attended only by children of workers on the estate. The Montgomery Day School was run by the Moravian Missionary Society. The Golden Grove Day School in St Patrick was conducted at a temporary schoolhouse until the Anglican Church building at Mt Pleasant was erected. A school had been started on this estate since 1834 but was discontinued for two years and restarted in 1838.

The Whim Day and Sunday School was said to be the first on the island to be established by the proprietor of an estate as an example to other planters, and provided the means of educating his African workers. The school was operated by a teacher from England who was replaced by the apprentice, an under-overseer of the estate.

On Bacolet Estate, an evening school was established by the head driver on the estate, who opened his house twice a week for instruction of those desirous of benefiting from what he had to offer.

The Goldsborough Day School was established in a temporary building furnished by the proprietors, which also served as a temporary chapel of Ease. It accommodated very young children and teaching was confined to reading and catechism. The Murchinson Estate Day School was run by the family of the estate owner specifically for estate workers who were allowed to attend classes when the bell was rung at 11 o’clock. This was the only school in a region in which the northern areas were completely isolated and devoid of access to any form of western education.

The establishment of schools assisted in the expansion of the religious bodies which were interested in moral education and an elimination of African “pagan” practices. These schools cemented the influence of the Anglican Church on the island, but they did offer other denominations a space to facilitate christianisation.

The Methodists positioned themselves around Scarborough and the Moravians focused on the areas in which they were first introduced. This paved the way for making Tobago the turf for competition for church membership, which occurred after 1838.

It is striking that the early school population consisted of very small children. Planters were motivated to support schools as a mechanism to entice workers to continue to give their labour to the estate by offering them on-the-job childcare and the possibility for education. Such hopes did not materialise. However, for the Africans, the motivation for education was as an avenue to attain their unswerving ambition to escape from plantation labour and attain social mobility.