A History of Education in The Bahamas Between the Pre-Emancipation Period 1734-1834
The Post-Emancipation and Modern Periods 1835-1947
Dr. Donald M McCartney, DM
Abstract
The history of education in The Bahamas represents the genesis and building the foundation of the Bahamian people, which connects them to their past. History assists us in answering the question posed by Cicero in 46 BC, “…what is the worth of human life unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by records of history?” This paper lays the foundation, gives currency to our past, and connects the fabric of our ancestors to the fabric of the present, which weaves a rich tapestry of the Bahamian struggle to become a unique people. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to assist Bahamians in general, and Bahamian educators in particular to recognize the importance of their educational history “warts and all.” This paper will assist our people in their journey to maturity and discovery of who they are through the lives of their ancestors who fought for them to know how to weave the fabric of the past with the fabric of the present to produce an education system, culture, social and economic order, which reflects who they are as Bahamians. While this paper discusses and traces the history of education in The Bahamas between 1734 and the post-emancipation period, it challenges Bahamians to ask the questions: Has the Bahamian struggle for education been achieved? Are Bahamians free without knowing the struggle for education by their ancestors? Are Bahamians free without an education?
PART I
Introduction
Robert F. Kennedy once said, “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and beliefs that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
Thomas Sowell, an American economist, turned social theorist, political philosopher, and author, in his farewell column wrote, “We cannot return to the past, even if we wanted to, but let us hope that we can learn something from the past to make for a better present and future.”
In 46 BC Cicero, orator, and statesman said, "To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history? "
Let us examine, for a moment, the import of the quotations by Robert F. Kennedy, Thomas Sowell, and Cicero.
Robert F. Kennedy, speaks of “Sweeping down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” The walls of oppression can only be swept down in a nation where there is a commitment to continuity in the provision of a holistic standard of education for all of its citizens.
The keywords of Thomas Sowell’s quote tells us “…Let us learn from the past to make for a better present and future.” If we are to improve the present thus paving the way for an improved future, there must be a commitment by all Bahamian educators to uplift all Bahamians through the provision of a high-quality education…but more importantly, ALL Bahamians MUST commit themselves to thirst for knowledge through life-long learning through the development of a healthy appetite for ALL forms of positive education.
Then Cicero challenges us with the question, “…what is the worth of human life unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by records of history?” The purpose of this research is to assist Bahamians, particularly Bahamian educators of the importance of assisting our people to mature by discovering who they are through the lives of our ancestors who fought for us to know how to weave the fabric of our lives into the fabric of their lives to produce an education system that reflects who we are as a people.
The Bahamian’ struggle for education, runs parallel with the struggle to be free; the Bahamian’ struggle for education runs parallel with the struggle for social justice; indeed, the Bahamian’ struggle for education runs parallel with the quest for economic justice; yes, the Bahamian’ struggle for education runs parallel with the struggle for their place in the Bahamian sun!
Despite the struggles and the achievements of Bahamians, a century plus eighty-two years after the abolition of slavery; eighty-seven years after Pompey’s revolt in Exuma,; eighty years after the Inagua Riot; seventy-four years after the Burma Road Riot; sixty-four years after the formation of the first Black political party in The Bahamas; sixty-one years after the members of the first Black opposition party took their seat in the halls of the Bahamian House of Assembly; fifty-nine years after the General Strike; fifty-five years after women were given the right to vote, and universal adult suffrage was established; fifty years after the achievement of Majority Rule; and forty-four years after independence, these questions remain: (1) Has the Bahamian struggle for education been achieved? (2) Are Bahamians free without knowing of the struggle by their ancestors for education? (3) Are Bahamians free without an education?
Bahamians continued the quest for, and receptiveness of education in ALL of its true and unadulterated forms will determine and affirm the answers to these poignant questions.
It is hoped that this presentation is a step in the right direction as Bahamians reflect on their history in general and their educational history in particular that these provocative questions will be answered.
Despite the operative and substantive title of this paper, any reference to the history of education during the period (between seventeen thirty-four, the post-emancipation, and modern periods) in THE BAHAMAS, is in reality, a reference to the history of education in NASSAU, which after a while, for the most part, included Eleuthera and Harbour Island. Proximity to Nassau made these two islands inclusive rather than exclusive during the early development of education. The exclusivity of the development of education will become evident as this presentation progresses.
It is important, then, that if Bahamians are not to remain in a childlike state, they must trace, as best they can, their history in general and the history of education in particular.
It is of particular importance that all Teacher Education Programs include a course or a component within the program on the History of Education in The Bahamas.
Teachers, both veteran, and novice cannot go forth to educate the nation’s youth without first having a foundational and historical appreciation of the education system in which they teach.
It must be made mandatory that even the more experienced teachers, who are already in the system, must take in-service courses, which focus on the History of Education in The Bahamas.
When people or individuals are denied access to something as fundamental as education, the attainment of the same takes preeminence in their lives; and so it was with the Bahamian struggle to attain accessibility to education between 1734 and the post-emancipation period leading up to Majority Rule in 1967.
According to the Global Campaign for Education (2016),
“Education has the power to underpin transformative change, providing opportunity, hope, and protection to the lives of hundreds of millions of people worldwide. The right to quality education is fundamental to the realization of other rights, including gender equality, health, nutrition, peace, the strengthening of democracy and environmental sustainability. On Human Rights Day 2014, we call for governments to take action to prevent violent attacks on education, and for the right to education to be at the heart of the new global development frameworks.”
What, then, is the Global Campaign for Education telling Bahamians? Is the Global Campaign for Education suggesting that perhaps transformative change, the provision of opportunities, hope, and the protection of the lives of Bahamians have been stymied because of the intensity of the struggle for education?
Is the Global Campaign for Education telling Bahamians that the quality of education that they have received has shaped their attitudes towards gender equality, health, nutrition, peace, the strength of the Bahamian view of democracy, and their treatment of the environment have been impacted because of the long and contracted struggle for education?
Perhaps the answers to both questions ought to be the subject of another research effort.
It has been opined by Bethel (1992), the late president emeritus of the (College of The Bahamas) now of late the University of The Bahamas, that the quest for education in The Bahamas reached its zenith during the period 1967 through to the 1980s. This view provides another avenue for an examination of the history of education in The Bahamas.
(Reverend Dr. Charles) Saunders (2009) expanded the period, of which Dr. Bethel spoke when he stated that the period 1942-1967 was a time of great expectation and a time of striving for excellence. He felt that the period also reflected Bahamians’ love for learning. Saunders also posited that between 1967 and 2011, the high expectations, striving for excellence, and love for learning were lost.
Both Dr. Bethel and Reverend Dr. Saunders’ views are worthy of collaborative research by this presenter and others.
Education has always held a preeminent position in The Bahamas. This preeminence is based on the premise that, that which is denied a people or a person is that which is sought after the most, and so it was with the attainment of education.
Research has shown that efforts, to provide the same quality education, for all Bahamians (students), with the achievement of the same results, have not always met with much success. However, it is unfair to say that all Bahamians (students) have not been able to achieve some measure of success in their academic pursuits.
In the pre-Majority Rule period, many Bahamians (students), who were able to achieve a measure of academic success, were able to do so based on race, social status, and the familial financial means (Beers, 2005; Singham, 2003; McCartney, 2004).
Now let me be clear; there were, and there always will be exceptions to the rule. There were Bahamians (students) who did not have the benefits of race, social status, and families who had the financial status.
Despite the prevailing handicaps, many Bahamians (students’) achievements were stellar. Let us not be fooled; there were students who had the racial status but lacked the social and the familial financial status. Many of these, if not all of them, were given the opportunity to obtain an education that was denied others who were racially incorrect. The reality is that there were poor white Bahamians who suffered the same fate as black Bahamians.
All things considered, many of those Bahamians who were deprived of an equal opportunity to obtain an education, their achievements were stellar because, even though they lacked the combination of status to which I referred, there were teachers, many of whom were unqualified by today’s standards; but they (teachers) were dedicated and disciplined. The results produced by the dedication and discipline of these teachers were second to none and certainly made up for what they lacked in qualifications.
Among these teachers were Donald W. Davis, Theodore G. Glover, Hugh W. Campbell, Naomi Blatch, Frank Reid, Ivan Holder, Maizie Wilkinson, Hilda Barrett, Gwendolyn Hall, Aileen Knowles, Edith Davis, and Naomi Godet-Claridge. Teachers, today, can learn much form the teachers of yester-year when it comes to the delivery of a quality educational product.
An appreciation of the history of education in The Bahamas establishes the importance of examining the issue of the disparity in the academic achievement of students at all levels. However, in dealing with the disparity in the academic achievement of students begs the questions: What about the quality of education provided at the primary level? Does the academic achievement or lack thereof of students at the primary level impact their academic achievement at the high school and tertiary levels?
Indeed, these are very valid questions. I am of the view that a cursory examination of the historical roots of the disparity of the academic achievement of primary school students reveals much about the causes or the creation of the disparity at the high school and tertiary levels.
While there are a plethora of reasons for the disparity in the academic achievement of students, in the case of The Bahamas, it can be posited that one of the reasons mus have been a weak foundation at the primary school level. According to McCartney (2013), there were nine causes of the disparity in the academic achievement of high school students.
According to McCartney (2013), there was reason to conclude that there was a general disparity between the General Certificate of Education (GCE) and the Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE).
McCartney’s list of causes included the establishment (1) practices in education that are indigenous to The Bahamas that do not ameliorate the disparity; (2) the lack of parental involvement and motivation of children; (3) the quality of teacher instruction; (4) students’ lack of discipline in applying themselves to learning; (5) the influence of the media, other cultures, and peer pressure; (6) the socioeconomic status of students; (7) the previous policy of selecting students who took the GCE examination and (8) the present policy that all 12th grade students must take the core subjects in the BGCSE examination; and (9) the lifestyle choices of students.
McCartney’s list of disparities does not include any reference to the high school students’ foundational education, which is established at the primary school level. However, anecdotally and empirically, it has been found that what students achieve or do not achieve at the primary level impacts their achievement at the high school level and beyond (Mushtaq and Khan, 2012).
Of course, one cannot ignore the fact that another reason for the disparity in the academic achievement of Bahamian high school students is that history has had a deleterious impact on the future accomplishments of Bahamians in education. However, as a people, we must acknowledge that taking positive advantage of opportunities, as they are presented, can offset what history did not allow or delayed.
According to President Obama (2017), while speaking about the gaps that have negatively impacted the progress of blacks, in America in an interview, with Ta-Neshisi Coates of The Atlantic magazine said, “Theoretically, you can make a powerful argument that centuries of slavery, Jim Crow, and discrimination are the primary cause of all those gaps…”
President Obama was referring particularly to the gaps in education, wealth, and employment that separates black and white America. I noted with interest his inclusion of education. The view expressed by President Obama speaks to history’s negative impact on an oppressed people in the United States of America.
It is clear that President Obama’s comment supports the case that can be made about the negative impact of history on the education of generations of Bahamians.
Therefore, for the purpose of this presentation, I am speaking of the impact that slavery and its attendant history has had on education in The Bahamas and by extension its impact on Bahamians. Slavery, its attendant practices, and history have had an impact on the social, economic and political development of black Bahamians and possibly poor white Bahamians.
So, theoretically, a powerful case can be made for the disparity in the educational achievement of Bahamians whose history is influenced by slavery, and by extension, its backlash which caused has been the source of social, economic, and political dislocation.
This discourse is not about the disparity in the academic performance of primary or high school students. However, the disparity, because of the possible and plausible impact of history on the educational development of Bahamians, it is necessary for it to be used as a part of the foundation (introduction) of this presentation and research.
This presentation is about a history of education between 1734 and the post-emancipation period, through to the modern period, in The Bahamas. It is a rather ambitious undertaking, and I doubt that it will be achieved in this forum.
The impact of history on education, the social, economic, and political development of the Bahamian people cannot be ignored.
There, I have said it again…our political development! This forum is, indeed, the place to begin the discussion!
Therefore, the exploration of any aspect of the history of education, in The Bahamas, may, in itself, reveal sufficient anecdotal evidence to add to the impact that history has had on the causes of the deficiency in the educational system and hence the disparity in the academic performance of not only primary and high school students but the performance of students at the tertiary level as well.
For this “romp” through the history of education in The Bahamas between 1734 and the post-emancipation and modern periods, it is essential to note that when students matriculate to college (university), if those students do not perform well, academically, the students’ academic performance, at the high school level must be reviewed historically.
With the same token, when students matriculate to high school, if there is a disparity in their academic achievement, historical reference must be made to the students’ academic achievement in the primary school.
Both of the preceding examples, while they may be considered (factually) anecdotal, they are historically true. It follows that the implications of the history of education between 1734 and the post-emancipation and modern periods provide (possible) causes for the disparity in the academic achievement of students.
Education, in The Bahamas, during the early period, was divided into the four distinct segments: 1734-1834, 1835-1864, 1865-1919, and 1920-1947 (Pegg (1947). This paper, under different circumstances, would have examined the history of education during the pre-emancipation period 1734-1834, which covers the first one hundred years before slavery was abolished; the immediate or early post-emancipation period 1835-1864, which covers approximately thirty years; and the periods 1865-1925, which covers sixty years, and 1926-1967, which covers 41 years.
Due to time constraints, the periods that this paper will cover are 1734-1834 (pre-emancipation period), 1835-1864 (early post-emancipation period), and 1865-1947 (late post-emancipation period and the beginning of the 20th Century period or the modern period). These periods will cover two hundred and eleven (211) years and will be more than sufficient to whet your appetites for more in the future.
While all of the periods, in the history of education, are important, the period 1948-1967 is worthy of special mention even though it is not included in this presentation. This period is most significant because it marked the beginning of the latter part of the post-emancipation period, which took the history of education in The Bahamas fully into the twentieth century and encompasses the achievement of the Majority Rule or what was considered as the beginning of the modern period in Bahamian education.
1967 was considered a watershed year in The Bahamas because decisions that were taken in 1967 forever changed the social, economic, political order in The Bahamas and particularly the educational landscape. These decisions could be seen and interpreted as having a deleterious or beneficial impact on the development of education in The Bahamas. The lense through which those decisions are examined will determine and influence how these decisions are seen and interpreted.
The three periods (1734-1834, 1835-1864, and 1865-1947 ), will be highlighted along with their significance in the history of education in The Bahamas.
Bahamians have been “free” for one hundred and eighty-two years. The year 2034 will mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery.
“Freedom,” the quality, and the type of education that has been delivered to the Bahamian people are conditional based on three questions. What are the three questions? (1) Has the Bahamian struggle for education been achieved? (2) Are Bahamians free without knowing the struggle, by their, ancestors for education? (3) Are Bahamians free without an education?
I put it to you, in the words of Sydney J. Harris, “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.”
It is through education that we are taught that we are unique individuals, who have been given the power to think and reason. Education teaches us that all action begins with the "thought" of it first. Education leads us to look into a mirror where we see only ourselves reflected back, but when we look out of a window, we see the rest of the world, which helps to multiply our experiences. Our lives will become truly enriched by our interaction with other human beings and creatures. Education plays an important role in expanding our private universe. To live a productive life, we need to look both inside and outside of ourselves. As Bahamians, we must explore all the avenues that are opened up to us through education. Then and only then we can use our creative mind to help solve the problems both within ourselves and in the exterior world.
Now, let us begin this journey so that we can begin to know our educational history as we determine the way forward.
The views expressed are those of the author, and not necessarily those of the WeblogBahamas (which has no corporate view).
