Annual report on Basutoland / Colonial Office.

  • Great Britain. Office of Commonwealth Relations
Date:
[1946]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on Basutoland / Colonial Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    42/96 (page 40)
    grants for specific purposes, conditional upon efficiency, instead of the present haphazard system based on numerical attendance only. Another important question to be tackled has been that of teachers’ salaries. The financial resources of the country make impossible the raising of teachers’ salaries to the high level in force in the Union. But it has been possible to recommend a 5 per cent, increase in teachers’ salaries and the introduction of an incremental scale. In accordance with another important recommendation of the Report every effort is being made to improve the quality of teachers produced by the various training institutions; in this respect tribute must be paid to the self-sacrifice of the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society, which has agreed to the broadening of its own institution into one designed to produce Protestant teachers not only for the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society, but also for the Church of England, an institution to be managed by representatives of the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society, the English Church and Government, both European and African. Finally, it is proposed to spend a considerable proportion of the Colonial Development and Welfare grant upon the improvement of school buildings, including those at the new Combined Teacher Training Institu¬ tion, and the provision of adequate equipment for schools in the Territory. With the exception of five Intermediate Schools, one High School and one Technical School maintained directly by Government, schools in Basutoland are entirely managed by missions. All Elementary Vernacular Schools cater in most cases up to Standard III. and in some instances to Standard IV. There are 533 aided, 220 registered (partially aided) and ninety-nine private schools. These show a total enrolment of 29,440 boys and 52,486 girls. Of Intermediate Schools there are five maintained directly by Government and fifty-two aided Mission Schools with a total enrolment of some 2,000 boys and 2,350 girls. Secondary education up to Junior Certificate is provided at the High School, Morija and Roma, and there is a matriculation class at the High School and a private matriculation class at Roma. Male teachers are trained at Roma and Morija, and female teachers at Thabana Morena, Roma and St. Catherine’s. Special provision for domestic training for girls is provided at most schools, nearly all of which are co-educational. Some schools, mainly Roman Catholic, also provide what may be termed short pre-marriage courses for African girls of varying standards who, for whatever reason, are unable to proceed with their normal education. Private university classes have been started by the Roman Catholics at Roma. Accommodation for Basuto students is provided at the South African Native College, Fort Hare, which the Basutoland Government subsidises to the extent of £300 a year and of which the Director of Education is a member of the Governing Council. Bursaries are provided to enable students to take advantage of these facilities; they are also available for students at the various other stages of their educational career. It is estimated that between 50 and 60 per cent, of the adult population is literate, which makes mass education and adult educational problems less pressing than in other parts of Africa. The main problem in this respect lies in the provision of adequate literature to prevent literates relapsing into illiteracy, and appropriate measures are under consideration in this respect.