HISTORY
BASIC 5
SOCIAL AND ECONOMICS DEVELOPMENT UNDER COLONIAL RULE (EDUCATION)
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE COLONIAL PERIOD (1874 – 1957)
The first Europeans that came to the Gold Coast came as missionaries. They came to spread the Christian faith.
The Portuguese were the first European nation to come to Gold Coast in the year 1471. The Portuguese named the place Gold Coast because of the Gold deposits found on the land. After the European missionaries had contacts with the coastal people, they decide to enter the interior parts of Ghana. In order to communicate better with the local people, they decided to established schools.
Most of the local people did not understand their language in order to accept the massage. After signing of the Bond of 1844 the local people demanded that the British help with social development of the Gold Coast.
The British undertook various social development within the Gold Coast. All the European countries that came to the Gold Coast left with the exemption of the British. The British colonized the Gold Coast from 1907 and decided to develop the social structure of the colony.
DEVELOPMENTS IN EDUCATION BY THE BRITISH IN THE GOLD COAST
The arrival of the Europeans brought new forms of education. Before their coming, education in the country was done in an informal way. That is knowledge and skills was transferred orally or by word of mouth.
The formal education introduced by the Europeans was book-based. Those who first enjoyed this formal education were the children of local chiefs, children of wealthy traders and the mulattos.
Mulattos were children born by the both foreign and local parents. That is, children of mix race. Studies were conducted in the Castles and Forts along coast. In 1874, after the British had made the whole Gold Coast as her colony, they decided to extend formal education to interior of the country.
Mission schools were built across the country. The Basel and Wesleyan Missions constructed schools in the Gold Coast. The Wesleyan Mission stayed at the coast whiles the Basel Mission went inland of the Gold Coast.
EDUCATIONAL MEASURES TAKEN BY THE BRITISH
1.The British colonial government established the Educational Ordinance of 1882. This was an educational policy set-up to provide money for the running of the schools. The schools to receive the funds were known as “government assisted schools”. These included schools set-up by the Basel and Wesleyan missionaries.
2.There was the establishment of a Board of Education. This board was set-up with people to monitor the school system.
3.There was a call by the British colonial government for an improvement in the school curriculum to bring out the best students.
4.Teachers who taught in schools were required to pass the required certificate make the necessary impact.
5.Teachers were also required to adopt practical means to teach their students.
SOME INFLUENTIAL INDIVIDUAL IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN GOLD COAST.
❖ MR. CHARLES WILLIAN
He was appointed master of the Cape Coast Schools conducted in Cape Coast Castle. He came in when the Castle Schools were at a standstill because of funds. He arrived in the Gold Coast in 1815 and re-opened the schools in Cape Coast. He is responsible for opening of other schools is Dixcove, Accra and Anomabo.
❖ REV. THOMAS B. FREEEMAN
The Wesleyan (Methodist) mission opened up schools along the coast of Ghana. By 1841, the Wesleyan mission had opened nine (9) schools, six (6) for boys and three (3) for girls. All these schools were functioning by the effort of Rev. Thomas B. Freeman. He was in charge of the Wesleyan mission schools.
❖ DR. KWEGYIR AGGREY
He was born in the Gold Coast and trained and educated by the Wesleyan missionaries. He later move to the United States of America for further studies. He returned to the Gold Coast for several years. Dr. Aggrey was appointed the firs vice principal of the Achimota College. He was one of those who helped to establishing the school. He was very interested in seeing females getting education. He made the famous statement “If you educate a man, educate anindividual, but if you educate a woman, you educate a nation”.
❖ REV. SUTTER
He was appointed from the Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone to be the inspector of schoold in the Gold Coast. He make sure that all school taught the required curricula and also teacher had the required certificate to teach.
SOME SCHOOLS THAT WERE ESTABLISHED BY THE EUROPEAN MISSIONARIES AND THE BRITISH COLONIAL GOVERNMENT.
NO.
|
SCHOOLS
|
FOUNDER BY
|
YEAR
|
LOCATION
|
1
|
Mfantsipim School
|
Wesley Mission
|
1876
|
Central Region
|
2
|
Wesleyan Girls High
School
|
Wesley Mission
|
Central Region
| |
3
|
St. Augustine College
|
Catholic Mission
|
Central Region
| |
4
|
Prempeh College
|
Osei Tutu Agyeman Prempeh
Rev. Sidney Person
Basel and Wesleyan Mission
|
1949
|
Ashanti Region
|
5
|
Ghana National College
|
Kwame Nkruamh
|
1948
|
Central Region
|
6
|
Achimota College
|
Sir Frederick Gordon
Guggisberg
Dr. James Emmanuel Aggrey
Rev. Alex Gordon Fraser
|
Greater Accra Region
| |
7
|
Adisadel College
|
Anglican Missionary
Nathaniel Temple Hamlyn
|
1910
|
Central Region
|
8
|
Aggrey Memorial College
|
Dr. AWE Appia of the A.M.E Zion Church
|
1940
|
Central Region
|
WEEK 9 NOTES
