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Teachers' salaries in many cases amounted scarcely to a living wage. Some of the teachers were paid £18 a year, while the lowest paid clerk in Government service received as a rule £36.
The new Ordinance presented difficulties which had not been fully dealt with yet. It was in many respects the same as the Nigeria Ordinance, but there were more diffi- culties to face in the Gambia. The small sum required for contribution by the Missions was hard to raise and was one of the main obstacles to the working of the percentage grant ordinance,
Nearly all the text-books used in the schools were obsolete.
He was trying to introduce physical training into all the schools without making any particularly new departure. As much use as possible was being made of the only African lady teacher who knew anything about domestic science. He was endeavouring to put the teachers' training school, such as it was, on a more workable basis. At present the teachers' training school was organized by a man in the Methodist High school, to whom the Government paid a grant. Training covered a period of eighteen months. **Students are admitted in January each year, and those admitted every other year have, of necessity, a broken course; six months prior to the departure on leave of the Principal, and a further year after his return." This made a difficult state of affairs, as was explained in paragraph (2), Chapter VII, of the 1937 Education Report. If students entered every other year instead, they would have a straight course and be working on the same subjects at the same time.
With regard to future development matters were far from easy. He had only been in the Gambia 6 months which was not long enough to come to a decision on all points. Sir Thomas Southorn had stated with regret that no funds for any large expansion of education would be available for some time to come.
Secondary education was important as it was through this that they hoped to obtain better teachers. He was planning what could be done with the two high schools. There were also two secondary classes which had no proper organization and followed their own courses. He hoped that the two high schools would be better organized and provide certain secondary education for the majority of those who wished to undergo it, and so obviate their attending the secondary classes in the different schools.
He had no definite scheme in mind as regards domestic science and the Trade school. He was making inquiries from other West African colonies about the possible training of one or two African teachers, with the idea that in due course they might open a school in which, say, carpentry, smithing, and domestic science might be taught. Nearly all education was co-educational at the moment.
There was little possibility of development of primary education in the near future. There was a promising school at Georgetown (mentioned at some length in the Report). It was the only aided school in the Gambia where a rural bias was given. At Bathurst, where most schools were situated, there was no land which could be used for agricul- tural purposes. There were two Secondary Schools, two Secondary Classes and six primary schools. The Secondary schools were managed by the Methodists. The Roman Catholics managed the secondary classes. The Manual centre had suffered since the instructor had been invalided and no adequate successor had been locally available.
The main trouble as regards education throughout the Gambia had been lack of a central organization and he believed that matters would improve now that one had been established. Only about 22 per cent of the revenue was spent on education and with the exception of Armitage School, Georgetown, and the Methodist School, Georgetown, no Government money was expended on education in the Protectorate. (At this point it was suggested that the Gambia was too small to form one educational unit but might perhaps be attached to a larger one).
The Committee then agreed that perhaps it could be observed in a despatch to the Governor that the total expenditure on Education is small as compared with the Revenue.
MR. ALLEN continued that the only European staff of the Department consisted of himself. There were a very few properly qualified African teachers. The Methodist Mission had three or four properly qualified European teachers.
MR. MAYHEW remarked that a good West Indian Negro teacher trained at home had gone to the Gambia from St. Lucia, where the conditions were somewhat the same. He was keen to work on a small salary for a Mission.
In reply to questions, MR. ALLEN said that the people in the Gambia would not like any diminution of secondary education. Bursaries for secondary education in Sierra Leone could not be supplied to meet the demand.
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MR. ALLEN continued that the institution maintained from local public funds (mentioned on page 19) was the Mohammedan school which is managed by a Mohammedan Committee with a fair amount of departmental control.
MR. ALLEN expressed a wish to meet the Committee again on his next leave when matters were more advanced.
PROFESSOR COUPLAND drew special attention to the gravity of the situation disclosed by the Report and by Mr. Allen's statements. Clearly an increase in educational expenditure was an essential condition of improvement of a state of affairs that could not be allowed to continue. There was general agreement in this point and, though the Committee was not in a position to review the finances of the Colony, the hope was strongly expressed that there would be an increase in the apparently small percentage of revenue at present available for education.
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