The church and Education

Name:

School:

Center #:

Teacher:

Territory: Jamaica

Year: 2016-2017

Research Question: To what extent is it true to say that the role of the church was vital to the

development of education in Manchester, Clarendon and St. Elizabeth in Jamaica 1838-1985?

 Title Page

Name:

School:

Center #:

Teacher:

Territory: Jamaica

Year: 2016-2017

Area of Research: Churches of Jamaica and their contribution to education in Manchester and/or

St. Elizabeth.
 Research Questions

Objective One

Access the impact of the Anglican Church in the development of education in

Manchester, Clarendon and/or St. Elizabeth Jamaica 1838 – 1985.

Objective Two

Examine the result of the work of the Moravian Church in the development of education in

Manchester, Clarendon and/or St. Elizabeth Jamaica 1838 – 1985.

Objective Three

Describe the role of the Roman Catholic Church in the development of education in Manchester,

Clarendon and/or St. Elizabeth Jamaica 1838 – 1985.

 Acknowledgement

The completion of this research project

Table of Contents
 Introduction

The churches of Jamaica has made significant contributions to the development of education

among all school types. Such churches include the Anglican Church, the Moravian Church and

the Roman Catholic Church. Research is to be done to gather as much information as possible to

satisfy the research topic and the objectives. The main focus is to prove that the role of the

church was vital to the development of education in Jamaica, more specifically, the educational

institutions of Manchester (and St. Elizabeth where necessary). The objectives of this research

are:

● Access the impact of the Anglican Church in the development of education in

Manchester, Clarendon and/or St. Elizabeth Jamaica 1838 – 1985.

● Examine the result of the work of the Moravian Church in the development of education

in Manchester, Clarendon and/or St. Elizabeth Jamaica 1838 – 1985.

● Describe the role of the Roman Catholic Church in the development of education in

Manchester, Clarendon and/or St. Elizabeth Jamaica 1838 – 1985.

The researcher will use both Primary and Secondary sources to gather evidence.
 Rationale

The purpose of this research is to prove that the role of the church was vital to the development

of education in Jamaica. The aims of this project are as follows:

● Access the impact of the Anglican Church in the development of education in

Manchester Jamaica 1838 – 1985.

● Examine the result of the work of the Moravian Church in the development of education

in Manchester Jamaica 1838 – 1985.

● Describe the role of the Roman Catholic Church in the development of education in

Manchester Jamaica 1838 – 1985.

The researcher will find methods of gathering information to complete this School Based

Assessment Project.
 The Anglican Church and Education

The Church of England was established in Jamaica 7 years after Admiral William Penn and

General Robert Venables captured the island in 1655. The Anglican Church of today is said to be

the product of many upheavals. The church was originally under the control of the Government,

but due to issues regarding iniquity and profitability, the control was released and first Synod

under new church law held in 1870.

The Anglican Church sponsors 79 basic schools, 26 primary and all-age schools, 11 high schools

and the Church’s Teachers Collage in Mandeville.

Bishop Gibson High School, Church Teachers’ College and deCarteret College are all

subsidiaries of the Anglican Church.

The Church’s Teachers’ Collage

The Church’s Teachers’ Collage was started in 1965 in September under the name Mandeville

Teachers’ Collage, with only 75 students, and with 32% (24) of the student population being

male. The collage was established with the authority and also the blessing of the Rt. Rev.

Percival Gibson, who was at that time, the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Jamaica. It was Rt.

Rev. Benjamin Vaughan, then Bishop of Mandeville who sought to obtain the facilities for a

College of Education in Mandeville. He was the first chairman of the Board of Management, and

he ensured that benefactors (the Kerr Jarrett family, Dr. Herbert Morrison and the Ministry of

Education) were convinced of the value of the College to the community and the island in

general.
The first permanently appointed principal of the College was the Rev. Orland Lindsay. He

served from 1967-1970 and later became Archbishop of the West Indies. He was succeeded by

the Rev. William Murray who served from 1970-1978. He later became the Bishop of

Mandeville. The College began with 25 pre-service teachers in the Primary Programme and 50 in

the Secondary Programme. As the institution grew, it increased the number of Secondary

Teachers and eventually became the only institution in the island which focused on the training

of teachers for the age group 12+ to 17+.

The College has grown from its small beginning of 75 students in 1965 and now has a student

population of over 400 students.

 The Roman Catholic Church and Education

The history of the Catholic Church in Jamaica is long, rich and complicated. Columbus dedicated

the island to the Most Holy Trinity where in 1494; the Spanish Crown later gave the Columbus

the island as a gift. The first Catholic Church was built in 1510 at St. Ann’s Bay under the order

of Diego Columbus. The Catholic Church was banned from the island in 1655 following the

capture of the island by the British. The Church was allowed to return in 1792 (173 years later).

The Roman Catholic Church maintains a strong presence in the island’s education system with 3

infant schools, 21 primary schools, 21 basic schools, 12 prep schools, 6 all-age schools, 10 high

schools, and the teachers’ colleges, St. Joseph’s and the Franciscan College.

The Catholic Church also influenced the perception of Manchester as the “education-oriented

parish”