Medical, Agricultural, and Public Works Departments, together with missionaries, traders, settlers, and representatives of native opinion, since education is intimately related to all other efforts, whether of Government or of citizens, for the welfare of the community. The Board should be supplemented in the provinces by Educational Committees.

ADAPTATION TO NATIVE Life.

Education should be adapted to the mentality, aptitudes, occupations and traditions of the various peoples, conserving as far as possible all sound and healthy elements in the fabric of their social life; adapting them where necessary to changed circumstances and progressive ideas, as an agent of natural growth and evolution. Its aim should be to render the individual more efficient in his or her condition of life, whatever it may be, and to promote the advancement of the community as a whole through the improvement of agriculture, the development of native industries, the improvement of health, the training of the people in the management of their own affairs, and the inculcation of true ideals of citizenship and service. It must include the raising up of capable, trustworthy, publicspirited leaders of the people, belonging to their own race. Education thus defined will narrow the hiatus between the educated class and the rest of the community whether chiefs or peasantry. As a part of the general policy for the advancement of the people every department of Government concerned with their welfare or vocational teaching—including especially the departments of Health, Public Works, Railways, Agriculture-must co-operate closely in the educational policy. The first task of education is to raise the standard alike of character and efficiency of the bulk of the people, but provision must also be made for the training of those who are required to fill posts in the administrative and technical services, as well as of those who as chiefs will occupy positions of exceptional trust and responsibility. As resources permit, the door of advancement, through higher education, in Africa must be increasingly opened for those who by character, ability and temperament show themselves fitted to profit by such education.

RELIGION AND CHARACTER TRAINING.

The central difficulty in the problem lies in finding ways to improve what is sound in indigenous tradition. Education should strengthen the feeling of responsibility to the tribal community, and, at the same time, should strengthen will power; should make the conscience sensitive both to moral and intellectual truth; and should impart some power of discriminating between good and evil, between reality and superstition. Since contact with civilization—and even education itself-must necessarily tend to weaken tribal authority and the sanctions of existing beliefs, and in view of the all-prevailing belief in the supernatural which affects the whole life of the African it is essential that what is good in the old beliefs and sanctions should be strengthened and what is defective should be replaced. The greatest importance must therefore be attached to religious teaching and moral instruction. Both in schools and in training colleges they should be accorded an equal standing with secular subjects. Such teaching must be related to the conditions of life and to the daily experience of the pupils. It should find expression in

of

habits of self-discipline and loyalty to the community. With such safeguards, contact with civilization need not be injurious, or the introduction of new religious ideas have a disruptive influence antagonistic to constituted secular authority. History shows that devotion to some spiritual ideal is the deepest source of inspiration in the discharge of public duty. Such influences should permeate the whole life of the school. One such influence is the discipline of work. Field games and social recreations and intercourse are influences at least as important as class-room instruction. The formation habits of industry, of truthfulness, of manliness, of readiness for social service and of disciplined co-operation, is the foundation of character. With wise adaptation to local conditions such agencies as the Boy Scout and Girl Guide Movements can be effectively utilised provided that good Scout Masters are available. The most effective means of training character in these ways is the residential school in which the personal example and influence of the teachers and of the older pupils entrusted with responsibility and disciplinary powers as monitors-can create a social life and tradition in which standards of judgment are formed and right attitudes acquired almost unconsciously through imbibing the spirit and atmosphere of the school.

THE EDUCATIONAL SERVICE.

The rapid development of our African Dependencies on the material and economic side demands and warrants a corresponding advance in the expenditure on education. Material prosperity without a corresponding growth in the moral capacity to turn it to good use constitutes a danger. The well-being of a country must depend in the last resort on the character of its people, on their increasing intellectual and technical ability, and on their social progress. A policy which aims at the improvement of the condition of the people must therefore be a primary concern of Government and one of the first charges on its revenue. But success in realising the ideals of education must depend largely on the outlook of those who control policy and on their capacity and enthusiasm. It is essential, therefore, that the status and conditions of service of the Education Department should be such as to attract the best available men, both British and African. By such men only can the policy contemplated in this memorandum be carried into effect. It is open to consideration whether a closer union between the administrative and educational branches of the service would not conduce to the success of the policy advocated. Teachers from Great Britain should be enabled to retain their superannuation benefits, and to continue their annual superannuation contributions, during short service appointments to approved posts in Africa.

GRANTS-IN-AID.

The policy of encouragement of voluntary effort in education has as its corollary the establishment of a system of grants-in-aid to schools which conform to the prescribed regulations and attain the necessary standard. Provided that the required standard of educational efficiency is reached, aided schools should be regarded as filling a place in the scheme of education as important as the schools conducted by Government itself. The utilisation of efficient voluntary agencies economises the revenues available for educational

purposes.

The conditions under which grants-in-aid are given should not be dependent on examination results.

STUDY OF VERNACULARS, TEACHING AND TEXT Books.

The study of the educational use of the vernaculars is of primary importance. The Committee suggests co-operation among scholars, with aid from Governments and Missionary Societies, in the preparation of vernacular text-books. The content and method of teaching in all subjects, especially History and Geography, should be adapted to the conditions of Africa. Text-books prepared for use in English schools should be replaced where necessary by others better adapted, the foundations and illustrations being taken from African life and surroundings. Provision will need to be made for this by setting aside temporarily men possessing the necessary qualifications. In this work co-operation should be possible between. the different Dependencies with resulting economy.

NATIVE TEACHING STAFF.

The Native Teaching Staff should be adequate in numbers, in qualifications, and in character, and should include women. The key to a sound system of education lies in the training of teachers, and this matter should receive primary consideration. The principles of education laid down in this memorandum must be given full and effective expression in institutions for the training of teachers of all grades, if those principles are to permeate and vitalize the whole educational system. The training of teachers for village schools should be carried out under rural conditions, or at least with opportunities of periodical access to such conditions, where those who are being trained are in direct contact with the environment in which their work has to be done. This purpose can often best be served by the institution of normal classes under competent direction in intermediate or middle rural schools. Teachers for village schools should, when possible, be selected from pupils belonging to the tribe and district who are familiar with its language, traditions and customs. The institution of such classes in secondary and intermediate schools should be supplemented by the establishment of separate institutions for the training of teachers and by vacation. courses, and teachers' conferences.

Since in the early stages of educational development the training given to teachers must necessarily be very elementary, it is indispensable, if they are to do effective work, that they should from time to time be brought back for further periods of training-say every five years. The greater efficiency which would result from this system might be expected to compensate for any consequent reduction in the number of teachers which financial considerations might render necessary.

VISITING TEACHERS.

As a means of improving village schools and of continuing the training of their teachers, the system of specially trained visiting (or itinerant) teachers is strongly to be commended. Such teachers must be qualified to enter sympathetically into the problems of education in rural areas. Visiting the schools in rotation, they will remain some time with each, showing the local teacher out of their wider experience how a particular task should be done, or a better method introduced. By bringing to the village schools new ideas and fresh

inspiration and encouragement they will infuse vitality into the
system. As far as possible the visiting teacher should be of the same
tribe as the pupils in the group of schools he visits, knowing their
language and customs. The visiting teachers should be prepared to
learn as well as to teach. They should be brought together annually
for conference and exchange of experiences.

INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION.

A thorough system of supervision is indispensable for the
vitality and efficiency of the educational system. The staff of Govern-
ment Inspectors must be adequate, and their reports should be based
on frequent and unhurried visits and not primarily on the results of
examinations. It is their duty to make the educational aims under-
stood and to give friendly advice and help in carrying them out.

Each mission should be encouraged to make arrangements for
the effective supervision of its own system of schools, but such
supervision should not supersede Government inspection.

TECHNICAL TRAINING.

Technical industrial training (especially mechanical training
with power-driven machinery) can best be given in Government work-
shops, provided that an Instructor for Apprentices is appointed to
devote his entire time to them; or in special and instructional work-
shops on a production basis. The skilled artisan must have a fair
knowledge of English and Arithmetic before beginning his appren-
ticeship in order that he may benefit by instruction and be able to
work to dimensional plans. Instruction in village crafts must be
clearly differentiated from the training of the skilled mechanic.

VOCATIONAL TRAINING.

Apprentices and "Learners " in vocations other than indus-
trial should be attached to every Government department, e.g.,
Medical, Agricultural, Forestry, Veterinary, Survey, Post Office
(telegraphy), etc., and should, as a general rule, sign a bond to
complete the prescribed course of instruction together, if so required,
with a prescribed period of subsequent service. It should be the
aim of the educational system to instil into pupils the view that
vocational (especially the industrial and manual) careers are no less
honourable than the clerical, and of Governments to make them at
least as attractive-and thus to counteract the tendency to look
down on manual labour.

EDUCATION OF GIRLS AND WOMEN.

It is obvious that better education of native girls and Women
in Tropical Africa is urgently needed, but it is almost impossible to
over-state the delicacy and difficulties of the problem. Much has
already been done, some of it wise, some of it as we now see—
unwise. More should be done at once (not least in regard to the
teaching of personal and domestic hygiene), but only those who are
intimately acquainted with the needs of each Colony and, while ex-
perienced in using the power of education, are also aware of the
subtlety of its social reactions, can judge what it is wise to attempt
in each of the different Dependencies.

We are impressed by the fact that mere generalisations on the
subject are not needed and may be misleading. In regard to the
education of its girls and women, Tropical Africa presents not one

problem, but many. Differences in breed and in tribal tradition
should guide the judgment of those who must decide what it is
prudent to attempt. (a) Clever boys, for whom higher education is
expedient, must be able to look forward to educated mates. (b) The
high rate of infant mortality in Africa, and the unhygienic conditions
which are widely prevalent make instruction in hygiene and public.
health, in the care of the sick and the treatment of simple diseases,
in child welfare and in domestic economy, and the care of the home,
among the first essentials, and these, wherever possible, should be
taught by well qualified women teachers. (c) Side by side with the
extension of elementary education for children, there should go en-
largement of educational opportunities for adult women as well as
for adult men. Otherwise there may be a breach between the genera-
tions, the children losing much that the old traditions might have
given them, and the representatives of the latter becoming estranged
through their remoteness from the atmosphere of the new education.
To leave the women of a community untouched by most of the mani-
fold influences which pour in through education, may have the effect
either of breaking the natural ties between the generations or of
hardening the old prejudices of the elder women. Education is a
curse rather than a blessing if it makes women discontented or in-
competent. But the real difficulty lies in imparting any kind of
education which has not a disintegrating and unsettling effect upon
the people of the country. The hope of grappling with this difficulty
lies in the personality and outlook of the teachers.

Female education is not an isolated problem, but is an integral
part of the whole question and cannot be separated from other
aspects of it.

ORGANISATION OF SCHOOL SYSTEM.

School systems in their structure will rightly vary according
to local conditions. It is suggested that when completed a school
system would embody the following educational opportunities so far
as the conditions prevalent in the Colony or District allow :-

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(a) Elementary education both for boys and girls, beginning with
the education of young children.

(b) Secondary or intermediate education, including more than
one type of school and several types of curricula.

(c) Technical and vocational schools.

(d) Institutions, some of which may hereafter reach University
rank and many of which might include in their curriculum some
branches of professional or vocational training, e.g., training of
teachers, training in medicine, training in agriculture.

(e) Adult Education. This, which is still in an experimental
stage, will vary according to local need. But it is recommended that
those responsible for the administration of each Colony should keep
adult education constantly in view in relation to the education of
children and young people. The education of the whole community.
should advance pari passu, in order to avoid, as far as possible, a
breach in good tribal traditions by interesting the older people in the
education of their children for the welfare of the community.

March, 1925.

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