Naps College – the school of legends

Jerome Teelucksingh

AN EDUCATIONAL seed was planted 130 years ago, in 1894, with the opening of Naparima Training College for teachers.

The secondary classes which became Naparima College were initially merged with classes of the Naparima Training College. At the close of the 19th century, in 1898, the Rev Grant was able to purchase buildings and land nearby his home, known as Oriental Hall. This served as the home for Naparima Training College, Naparima College and the Presbyterian Training College.

Two years later, Naparima College was formally inaugurated and its status enhanced as it was affiliated with the prestigious Queen’s Royal College, in Port of Spain.

The early Naparima College retained a Canadian character, as it was modelled on schools in Pictou, Nova Scotia (in Canada). By 1900, Naparima College was officially recognised as an assisted school and had a population of 50 students and a relatively small staff of four teachers.

In 1904, the first class graduated with the Cambridge Senior School Certificate, which was issued by the Cambridge Examination Syndicate in Britain. More than a decade later, in 1917, buildings were constructed at Paradise Pastures for Naparima College. The staff and students now benefited from a scenic view of the Gulf of Paria.

Interestingly, Naparima College began to develop not as a school for the upper class, elite or privileged, but one in which the children of the working class could obtain a quality education. During the 1920s, five bursaries were awarded by the college to the boys attaining the highest marks. The Naparima College Bursary Examinations were open to boys from schools in San Fernando and East Indians who attended CM schools.

In March 1926 the school population was estimated at 120 students. The two top students were awarded the Senior Cambridge Medal and Junior Cambridge Medal. In the middle school, 18 students sat the Cambridge Syndicate Examinations. By 1929, the increasing student population led to the formation of a vibrant student council.

In 1923, the Rev Victor B Walls of Blackville, New Brunswick, was appointed principal of Naparima College. The Wallses moved into residence on Paradise Hill and began to work with the school’s population of 85 students in 1925. The Rev Walls served in the Canadian Army Medical Corps, where he met his future wife, Marion Smith, an Australian who served as an army nurse during World War I.

While at Naparima College, Mrs Walls continued her medical tradition. She attended to ulcers, fractures, scorpion stings, jiggers, cuts and sprains. Subsequently, she spearheaded the establishment of the Naparima College Infirmary, which comprised an office, three independent rooms and two small wards.

By 1931 the population of Naparima College was 200 students, and as medical cases increased, the wards began training the college’s students in first aid and home nursing. This led to the publication of A Handbook on First Aid and Home Nursing and the creation of the Naparima College First Aid Ambulance Corps. Exams were held and certificates distributed to participants, and in 1935 a special course was held at the college for instructors who desired to train others in first aid.

The outstanding work of the Wallses did not go unrecognised. In 1938, a committee under the chairmanship of the Rev Walls applied to London for a “TT branch of the British Red Cross Society.” A year later in 1939 the branch was approved and inaugurated.

In 1934, the Higher School Certificate began at the college. The Junior and Senior Cambridge examinations allowed graduates to obtain jobs in the teaching service and civil service, and satisfied entrance examinations to European and US universities.

Among the buildings constructed were a dormitory, a dining hall, in 1925, an infirmary in 1927 and the central part of the “U” layout in 1931. In 1939, the first Founders’ Day celebration was held and two classrooms, originally built in 1917, were replaced by the wings of the “U” structure.

In 1950, at Naparima’s golden jubilee (and the Rev Wall’s 25th year as principal), Trinidad Leasehold Ltd, a major oil company, presented a flagstaff as a gift to the school.

A few years later, in 1953, Walls retired and was replaced by the competent Rev Edward T Lute of Toronto. During the first year of Lute’s principalship, a public-address system (the Blue Circle Network) was installed in classrooms. In this memorable year, Lute administered over 640 students.

These visionary pioneers created an educational foundation from which thousands of boys would benefit and become outstanding citizens and men of calibre.