SECTION C

MODULE 1 – CARIBBEAN SOCIETY AND CULTURE

Question 3

Specific Objective:4 Content (b i and ii)

During colonial rule, education in the Caribbean was an

effective means of upward social mobility. Using THREE points
discuss the extent to which you agree with this statement?

Knowledge and Comprehension: [10 marks]

• Colonial society
• Plantocracy
• Colonial education
• Primary education
• Secondary education
• Tertiary education
• Normal School
• Colonial agenda
• Eurocentric
• Curriculum -3Rs (Reading, Writing and Arithmetic)
• Hidden curriculum
• Colonial subjects
• Marxism
• Functionlist Perspectives
• Black middle class
• Black elite
• Bourgeoisie
• Plantation system
• Indigenous Peoples
• Encomienda System
• Loss of Identity
• Slavery
• Literate enslaved people
• Indian indentureship
• Christian missionaries
• Church and denominational schools
• Sunday Schools
• Grammar Schools
• Social mobility
• Social stratification
• Classism
• Racism
• Discrimination
• Prejudice
• Moyne Commission
• Colonial Development and Welfare Act
• Negro Education Grant 1835-1845
• London Collage of Agriculture
• The Lady Mico Charity
• GCE exams
• Scholarships
• Land Acquisition
• Voting Rights
• Development of Institutions
• Entrance into Trade Unions and Political Parties

Use of Knowledge: [12 marks]

Candidates should display thorough knowledge of the means of

upward mobility during colonialism and the role that education
played or did not play in class stratification. Please note
that UK values 12 Marks therefore:
1. A fully developed POINT = 4 marks
2. A fairly good POINT made = 3 marks
3. A moderately developed point = 2 marks
4. A weak POINT = 1 mark

Colonial Society

• From the moment the Europeans entered the region and settled
they established their institutions. Among these
institutions were schools which were established to cater to
the educational needs of the white children. Education was
mainly used as a system of upward social mobility for the
whites and a system of exclusions for the Indigenous People.
This was the case even though the Encomienda System proposed
to give education and other benefits to the natives in
return for their labour.
• Colonial society was stratified based on the plantation
model: Whites had all social, political and economic power
(Plantocracy), the free coloureds were the middle strata of
society and the enslaved population was at the bottom. Even
though coloureds were free, some were wealthy but they did
not have the same rights as whites. The enslaved population
had no rights, they were seen as property. After
emancipation in 1838 the whites maintained their social,
 political and economic power and the other two groups
struggled to improve their social status.

• Colonialism has had deep implications for the Caribbean

psyche. Colonial education was used as a tool to create good
colonial subjects who could not think for themselves. As
part of the socialization process education affects how we
think and how we see the world. Education therefore played a
key role in facilitating the colonial agenda (Marxist view).

• Education was a way to enforce the dominant culture and the

colonies were not allowed to cultivate a national identity.
Colonies were part of the empire and patriotism to the Crown
was encouraged. The curriculum taught in schools was
Eurocentric.

Colonial Education

• During slavery education was only for whites, wealthy

planters sent their sons and daughters to the metropole to
be educated. The enslaved were not educated, they only
received religious instruction which taught them to accept
their place in society.

• Even though education was for the whites a few blacks became
literate. These Africans who were functionally literate
normally rose to the top of the enslaved population;
becoming slave leaders – Toussaint(St. Domingue),Bussa&
Nanny Grigg (Barbados),Samuel Sharpe(Jamaica) etc.

• Public education was established after 1838 with the aims of

maintaining the established economic and therefore social
and political order. Education provided the opportunity to
do this since it kept the mass of the population as estate
labourers at the bottom of the social ladder with no hopes
of political power. Education was designed to maintain the
status quo.

• Education of the masses throughout the British West Indies

was characterized by two main questions: ‘education for
whom?’ and ‘education for what purpose?’ The rationale of
the system influenced its curriculum. This was the hidden
curriculum. There was emphasis on the ‘moral’ development of
the masses as important for the social stability of the West
Indian colonies since it would help working class blacks
accept their ordained place in the existing social order. To
some extent it was an extension of the education that Blacks
received during slavery.
• Thus instead of being a channel for mobility, education of
the newly freed population was designed to keep them in a
position of subordination as agricultural labourers. The
emphasis on security and order reflected the fear and racist
notion that colonial elites held that given freedom the
‘negro’ would move off the estates and succumb to laziness
thereby denying the planters a labour force. The result
would be destruction of property and migration of whites
away from the colonies.

• The colonial authorities wanted to ensure that the

transition from slavery to a ‘free labour market’ was
achieved smoothly, for this a suitable type of education was
needed. The curriculum of elementary schools therefore was
the three ‘Rs’- reading, writing and arithmetic and
‘industrial education’. A number of key groups became
increasingly supportive of the expansion of primary
education because of its proposed goals.

• There were a few secondary schools in the Caribbean and

these typically charged fees which only the wealthy white
upper class could afford. Blacks were therefore discouraged
from attending secondary schools by fees and rules against
having unmarried parents.

• Education was an opportunity to spread Christianity. The

Church was an agent of social control. Churches operated
schools and the bible was one of the primary texts. Specific
passages were used which instilled a sense of duty to
authority figures and the promise of a better afterlife. In
the British West Indies the Church worked closely with the
state.

• In the Caribbean the need to create good colonial subjects

was reflected in the education policies implemented. This
was particularly evident in the way in which the education
was used to encourage and facilitate an Anglicization
process. Language barriers were overcome by teaching English
at schools. In the French territories students were taught
that their identity was French first, before they were
anything else. The curriculum that was taught was based on
the colonial power. For e.g. in the British West Indies
English songs, stories, values and customs were taught. It
did not teach anything about the Caribbean.

• Furthermore the nature of secondary education was not simply

elite but alien as well since it was not intended to serve
the majority of the members of society. Subjects taught
included European history, geography and European languages.
Secondary education was designed to prepare children for
 European society; in fact those who could afford would send
their children to Europe for education.

• To a large extent social stratification continued as race,

colour and class continued to play a role in education. The
wealthy were able to afford extra resources and classes to
help their children achieve academic results.

• Despite all of these obstacles, a few black and coloured

persons were able to achieve higher levels of education. The
education system provided the opportunity for black children
to achieve lower-middle class status as artisans, small
shopkeepers, minor civil servants, clerks and store
assistants.

• Students from the elementary or ward schools were trained at

Normal schools as primary school teachers. While pay was
low, these teachers were part of the emerging black middle
class.

• Scholarships were available for boys to attend secondary

school from primary school. From there students competed for
the Island or Colonial Scholarship to study at a British
university for three years. A Guiana Scholarship was also
established in 1881. These were mainly won by upper-class
boys but a few middle class boys did win it like Eric
Williams. The Rhodes Scholarship also gave boys from the
Caribbean like Norman Manley the opportunity to attend
Oxford University.

• The system was patriarchal and promoted the education of

boys and men over girls and women. Higher education was only
provided for males, which in turn led to the predominance of
male leaders in Caribbean society in the colonial and
immediate post-colonial era. When secondary schools for
girls were opened, the curriculum was focused on home-
making.

The Black Middle Class

• Education created the Black middle class and then from this
emerged the Black elite. The Black middle class formed a
distinct group, they were distinguished from the Whites by
their African descent, and from the Creole masses by their
education and white collar jobs. The Black middle class in
the early 20th century was not a homogenous group. They were
divided according to their income levels but the majority of
them were able to obtain this status because of their
education. There were a few shop owners, doctors, lawyers
and head teachers who were the highest income earners. The
 middle strata included civil servants, journalists, managers
and health and school inspectors. On the lower end of the
middle class spectrum there were elementary school teachers,
storekeepers and clerks. Teaching was one of the few
respectable jobs available to young men from poorer
backgrounds and elementary school teachers made up the bulk
of the middle class.

• In territories with large Indian indentured populations like

Guyana and Trinidad there was reluctance on the part of
Indians to send their children to school. This group
remained separate from society until Canadian missionaries
opened schools specifically for them. Again this was a
method of converting them to Christianity.

• Thus while colonial education was designed to maintain the

colonial order, ultimately it was utilized by Caribbean
people to achieve social mobility.

On the other hand, candidates can argue that:

• Only a minority were able to achieve social mobility as a

result of colonial education. In the 1930s there were a wave
of riots and protests across the British Caribbean in
response to poor living and working conditions, and the
protesters were lower class people. Up till the time of
independence movements in the region the majority of persons
were working in unskilled jobs. People were being educated
up to the primary school level but job opportunities were
limited, and this was linked to the quality of education
that they were given.

• Wealthy merchants achieved social mobility and formed the

emerging bourgeoisie class. This was as a result of their
businesses (wealth) and they were able to educate their
children.

Enquiry and Communication: [8 marks]

Candidates can agree or disagree with the statement but they

should provide enough evidence to support their stance. The
system was designed to maintain the status quo yet it produced
the black middle class. Candidates must explore how social
mobility was achieved in colonial society. A candidate may use
all of or anyone of the era (early colonial society, period of
chattel slavery and post emancipation period) outlined in the
Use of Knowledge to discuss the points. An understanding of
the colonial agenda and barriers to social mobility are
therefore needed: race, class and colour. Answers should have
a conclusion where the stance taken is reiterated.

Total 30 marks
 Paper 02 Section C and D or Paper 032

MAXIMUM 30 MARKS

A. Knowledge [Maximum 10 marks]

Level 1. The candidate shows little or no understanding

of the concepts critical to the discussion of
the problem or issue. Where concepts are
identified, they are presented largely by means
of discrete pieces of information which are not
at all, or tangentially, related to the question
asked.
[1–3 marks]

Level 2. The candidate shows adequate understanding of

some concepts critical to discussion of the
problem or issues and demonstrates how these
concepts are relevant to the question asked. [4–7 marks]

Level 3. The candidate shows a strong understanding of

all the concepts critical to the discussion of
the problem or issue and consistently shows
their relevance in the analysis or evaluation.[8–10 marks]

B. Use of Knowledge [Maximum 12 marks]

Level 1. The candidate presents a poor discussion or

fails to present evaluative comments on the
issues or problem. Arguments are neither logical
nor clear for the most part. Little supporting
evidence is provided for positions taken.
[1-4 marks]

Level 2. The candidate presents adequate discussion,

evaluative comments or analysis of the problem
or issues. Arguments are in some cases logical
and clear. Some supporting evidence is
presented for positions taken. [5–8 marks]

Level 3. The candidate presents a sound discussion,

analysis or evaluative comments on the issues or
problem. Arguments are logical and clear.
Supporting evidence is provided for positions
taken. [9–12 marks]
C. Enquire and Communication [Maximum 8 marks]

Level 1. The candidate demonstrates a weak command of the

skills of communication. The candidate shows
little mastery of vocabulary essential to
conducting the discussion, analysis or
evaluation. Sentence structure is weak to the
point where it obscures the ideas the candidate
wishes to convey.
[1-2 marks]

Level 2. The candidate has to some extent mastered the

vocabulary appropriate to conduct the
discussion, analysis or evaluation and shows an
adequate command of mechanics.
[3-5 marks]

Level 3. The candidate demonstrates a sound command of

the skills necessary to convey meaning. Ideas
are clearly sequenced and the candidate is able
to manipulate vocabulary, sentence structure and
paragraphing to convey ideas effectively.
[6-8 marks]