The Concordat – Part 1: Role of religion in early education

Over the next few weeks we will produce a series of articles based on the Concordat, which you will also hear on our radio programme – TTUTA Speaks. These articles explore the role that religion has played in shaping our education system over time.

IN EVERY society education often sparks conflicts, primarily because of sectarian interests and differences in culture, religion, ethnicity, gender, or politics. Here in TT one issue that frequently arises in education is The Concordat – a 1960 agreement between the state and the Roman Catholic Church which grants the church the right to manage its schools and to teach its religious beliefs and values.

Having been adopted by other religious groups, The Concordat has been the subject of several articles, TV programmes, social media presentations, and even court cases, but its historical and religious context is often overlooked.

This is unfortunate, as discussion on any issue, especially a contentious one, requires understanding of its origin. “One cannot solve a problem without first examining its antecedent cause" (Green, 2010).

Today’s segment begins a series exploring the historical context that led to The Concordat with a view to gaining a better understanding of its foundation and purpose.

To begin, one must note that religion played a critical role in the embryonic stage of our education system. With Catholic missionaries providing religious instructions, education was mostly informal during the Spanish era.

When the British took control in 1797, they allowed these missionaries to continue running the few schools that existed – but these schools served the white elite. Enslaved children had no access to education (Campbell, 2004).

Later, Protestant missionaries from the Church of England and the Methodist Church tried to educate both enslaved and free African populations. However, plantation owners often resisted and fought against their efforts.

After the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, churches that engaged in educating slaves received financial support from the British Imperial Government as well as the Negro Education Grant – which was an endowment that came from an inheritance left by Lady Jane Mico in 1690.

As such, the first schools for the masses were informal classes held in local churches, run by missionaries whose main goal was to teach people how to read the Bible. This is why many Christian denominational schools are located next to churches even today.

With little government oversight, education focused on instilling Christian morals and values among the freed slave population.

While religion was at the heart of education, it also became a major source of conflict due to changes in society. Just prior to British colonialism, Trinidad was bilingual – being under Spanish law and governance but with French as the dominant spoken language. It was also entirely Roman Catholic.

The arrival of the British not only brought the English language, but also several Protestant denominations eager to spread their faith among the newly freed population. This sparked intense rivalry between Roman Catholics and Protestants, as both groups competed for converts to increase their social influence.

With emancipation, their efforts intensified as "schools" became tools of evangelism. To add to this confusion, classes held by Protestant churches were conducted in English, whereas those by the Roman Catholics were either in French or Spanish, depending on their location.

Recognising this growing divide, British officials attempted to create a uniform education system. In 1839, Charles LaTrobe, inspector of schools for the West Indies, proposed a centralised, non-denominational model which he hoped would force the “different communions” to "work well and peacefully side-by-side."

This system – similar to one used successfully in Ireland at the time – emphasised common moral teachings without favouring any one religious group. However, his plan was never implemented, and the disorganised, religion-based education system continued into the mid-19th century.

In the next segment we will learn how the British colonial government made its first major attempt to establish a state-controlled school system – and how this led to even greater conflicts, but this time between church and state.