The History of Barotse National Schools, 1907-1934
Date
2011-06-08
Authors
Mutumba, Harry Kachana
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This study sets out to reconstruct the educational history of the Barotse National School from 1907 to 1934. It is difficult to explain why the school was named "Barotse
National School". It was probably so called to distinguish it from other schools that were exclusively run by the Paris
Evangelical Missionary Society. And because it was intended to be a "National School" for the benefit of the Malozi the School
was designed to be the centre of educational development in Bulozi.It remained the only government controlled school up to 1929, when the Jeanes and Agricultural School was opened at Mazabuka.The dissertation studies two distinct phases of the early days of the school: the Barotse National School under
the Company rule 1907 to 1924, and the school under the early Colonial rule 1925 to 1934. The year I934 was decided on as
the cut off date because it marked the end of the term of office of the first Principal appointed by the Colonial Office in 1924, P.F. Halland.The dissertation is made up of four chapters. In chapter
1, I have discussed the political and economic structure of the Lozi society and. the establishment of the Africa Methodist
Episcopal Church in Bulozi, which was led by a Sotho called Willie Mokalapa. Mokalapa broke away from F.Coillard of the P.E.M.S. in 1900. The Mokalapa Church hastened the establishment of the Barotse National School. Although in the Lochner Treaty of 1890 and in the treaties of 1898 and 1900 Liwanika had been promised that schools would be provided, no school was opened by the Company in Bulozi until 1907 after the
Mokalapa Church had won the sympathy of the Lozi rulers.Chapters 11 and 111 discuss school policy over these years, the Company educational objectives, the school
organisation, discipline, curriculum and recruitment procedure of the pupils. Although the school faced a critical shortage of qualified teachers during the Company rule the school performance markedly improved during the Colonial period.African teachers were gradually being trained and the Northern Rhodesia government began to show great interest in the education of Africans. Thus the educational changes that took place at
the B.N.3. from 1925 to 1934 were within the framework of the Colonial educational policy and practice in Northern Rhodesia,
The final chapter first makes a note summary of the contents of chapters 11 and 111 before it draws general conclusions on the questions raised in the introduction of the dissertation. These are the objectives of the Company in setting up the school, the
place of the B.N.S. in the development of education in Bulozi and the role of the B.N.S. graduates in the development of
Bulozi.
Description
Keywords
Native Schools , Public Schools , Government Schools