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 pl