1887 AND 1916 EDUCATION ORDINANCES

INTRODUCTION

The 1882 Education Ordinance in Nigeria had some problems which needed urgent attention of the colonial government. These problems, together with the rapid expansion of the British colony in Nigeria, made it necessary for the government to roll out another ordinance. This unit examines the provision of the 1887 and 1916 education ordinances, their objectives, advantages and disadvantages in Nigeria.

 OBJECTIVES

By the end of the unit, you should be able

1. State the circumstances that led to the introduction of the 1887 education ordinance; 
2.  List out some of the provisions of the ordinance; 
3.  Mention at least four advantages of the ordinance; 
4. Discuss some of the major issues that led to the 1916 ordinance; 
5. Examine the major achievement of the 1916 ordinance. 

THE NEED FOR THE 1887 EDUCATION ORDINANCE 

In unit six some of the major limitations of the 1882 ordinance were highlighted. The 1887 ordinance was supposed to take care of those lapses. Again there was the growing agitative influence of the nationalists with demand on the British colonial government to give more attention to education in Nigeria.

In addition to these points, was the desire of the colonial government to extend the British influence into the hinterland. Based on these, Lagos was separated from Gold coast colony in 1886. This separation required the enactment of another education ordinance; in 1887.

The 1887 education ordinance was seen as the first effective effort made by the government to promote education and control the rapid expansion of education by the missions, and was specifically meant for the colony of Lagos covering Lagos Island, Ebute-meta, Yaba, Badagry. This was a cautious but practical and articulated ordinance that laid down certain basic principles which have become the foundation of educational policies of Nigeria. (Osokoya, 1995; Taiwo, 1980:17).

Exercise 1:

• Lagos is the seat of Western education in Nigeria. Discuss. 

The Provisions of the 1887 Education Ordinance

The ordinance provided as follows:

1. The constitution of a Board of Education which would be composed of similar members as in the 1882 ordinance. This Central Board of Education was made up of the governor as the chairman, members of the legislative council, four nominees of the governor, and the inspector of schools; 
2. The appointment of an inspector of schools (as in the former ordinance) and also this times a sub- inspector of schools and other education officers; 
3. Grants-in-aid to schools and teacher training institutions;
4.  Power of the Board to make, alter and revoke rules for regulating the procedure of grants-in aid; 
5.  Empowering the governor to open and maintain Government schools; 
6. Rates and conditions of grants-in-aid to infant schools, primary schools, secondary schools and industrial schools based, partly, on subjects taught and partly on degree of excellence in the schools; 
7. Safeguards as to religious and racial freedom; 
8. Certificate of teachers; 
9.  Admission into an assisted school of pauper and alien children assigned to it by the governor; 
10. Establishment of scholarships for secondary and technical education. 

(Taiwo, 1982 p 17; Osokoya, 1995 pp 64-65).

Exercise 2:

Comment briefly on any five of the provisions of the 1887 Education Ordinance.