Education of European Immigrants

Source 1: An excerpt about Mrs Maria Dyer who founded the Chinese Girls School in 1842. Today the school is known as St Margaret’s School.

With the approval of the London Missionary Society, Maria started a boarding school for 19 Chinese girls under agreement from their parents or guardians for differing lengths of stay. Known as the Chinese Girls’ School, the school took in girls who were orphans or had fallen victim to child slavery (known in Cantonese as mui tsai). It was located in a house along North Bridge Road. In addition to an elementary education in English, the girls were taught homemaking skills in preparation for marriage. Many successful female teachers in the Straits Settlements were wives of missionaries. Maria Dyer was one such example. Throughout her life in the Straits Settlements, she worked relentlessly to provide education and build schools for girls. The aim of the mission schools then was to instill Christian values and behaviour in their pupils. One of the ways is to teach them to read and write so that they are able to read Christian literature.

Reference:

Lim, I. L. P. (2016). Maria Dyer. Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board. Retrieved from https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1343_2008-12-10.html?s=Missionaries--Singapore

Source 2: An excerpt about Sophia Blackmore, the first woman missionary sent by the Methodist Women's Foreign Missionary Society to work in Singapore. During her stay in Singapore from 1887 to 1928, she helped to found two Methodist schools for girls: Methodist Girls' School and Fairfield Methodist Girls’ School.

Upon her arrival in Singapore on 16 July 1887, Blackmore was encouraged by the work of Reverend Oldham and his wife, which included the local Methodist Episcopal Church and the Anglo-Chinese School at Coleman Road. Within a month, Blackmore had opened a school for Tamil girls on 15 August 1887, with the support of Oldham, several members of the Indian community and a teacher named Alexander Hagedorn (Mrs Alexander Fox). Known originally as the Tamil Girls' School, it was later renamed Methodist Girls' School.

Blackmore’s frequent visit to homes by horse-carriage within estates bounded by Telok Ayer and Neil Road led to the establishment of a second school for girls. Tan Keong Saik, along with other influential Chinese families, had persuaded her to teach their daughters – an uncommon request as education for girls was not a priority among the Chinese then. A widow, Nonya Boon, later offered Blackmore her home at Cross Street to start a school for girls.

Reference:

Tan, B. (2020). Sophia Blackmore. Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board. Retrieved from https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1339_2008-10-10.html?s=Missionaries--Singapore

Source 3: An excerpt about the British contribution to education in Singapore during the 19th century.

The first formal school to be established on the island was the Singapore Free School, which was founded in 1834 by Reverend R. J. Darrah. This school was to consist of a central English school and elementary-level vernacular schools. Although the school ran vernacular departments in Malay, Chinese and Tamil, these classes were short-lived. The Free School subsequently became known as the Singapore Institution Free School and later, Raffles Institution.

For most of the 19th century, the colonial government showed a general lack of interest in promoting education. Its limited involvement came in the form of financial support for Malay schools and giving small grants to English schools. Other than the English schools, funding was provided only for Malay education as the British regarded the Malay language as the vernacular of Singapore.

Reference:

Ho, S. (2016). Vernacular education. Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board. Retrieved from  https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_2016-10-03_094744.html?s=Missionaries--Singapore

Source 4: An excerpt about British educator, A.M Skinner and his contributions towards education in Singapore.

In 1872, A. M. Skinner was made Inspector of Schools of the Straits Settlements (which Singapore was then a part of, along with Malacca and Penang). Although Skinner considered Malay schools as subsidiaries of English schools, he nevertheless saw the need to expand Malay education. Skinner established the Malay High School at Telok Blangah in 1876. However, the high school project did not last long because the colonial government subsequently converted the school into the Malay Teachers’ College in 1878 to meet the growing demand for Malay teachers. This college produced the first formally trained Malay teachers in Singapore and Malaya.

Reference:

Ho, S. (2016). Vernacular education. Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board. Retrieved from  https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_2016-10-03_094744.html?s=Missionaries--Singapore

Source 5: An excerpt about the role of the British administration of education in Singapore. You are encouraged to click on the link to read the findings and recommendations of the British administration towards education in early Singapore. 

Before 1867, the Straits Settlements government, then under the Bengal Presidency, had adopted a laissez-faire* approach towards local education. The establishment and running of schools were left largely to private and missionary enterprises, with government support provided in the form of site and building grants as well as grants-in-aid. The governor submitted these grants-in-aid to the British India government for approval. When the Straits Settlements became a crown colony in 1867 and thus came under the direct administration of the Colonial Office in London, the administration of these grants was transferred to the local Legislative Council, subject to the final approval from the secretary of state in the Colonial Office.

On 14 September 1869, a select committee of the Legislative Council – comprising E. E. Isemonger, W. R. Scott and W. Adamson – was appointed to enquire and recommend the education budget for 1870. The committee recommended a grant of $17,632.76, which was about a 22-percent increase over the $14,480.44 in the previous year. Although the budget estimates were passed, it was with the understanding that the state of local education would be thoroughly studied and that the council would not continue supporting the increased budget every year. To this end, a select committee – chaired by Woolley, with W. H. Read and W. R. Scott as members – was appointed on 29 December 1869 to look into the state of education in the colony.

*laissez-faire- the policy of leaving things to take their own course, without interfering.

Reference:

Lee, G. (2017). Woolley Report on the state of education, 1870. Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board. Retrieved from https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_2017-08-31_103856.html

Source 6: An excerpt about the British Colonial government efforts at building school.

The first formal school to be established on the island was the Singapore Free School, which was founded in 1834 by Reverend R. J. Darrah. This school was to consist of a central English school and elementary-level vernacular schools.6 Although the school ran vernacular departments in Malay, Chinese and Tamil, these classes were short-lived.7 The Free School subsequently became known as the Singapore Institution Free School and later, Raffles Institution.

Reference:

Ho, Stephanie, Vernacular Education. Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board. Retrieved from https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_2016-10-03_094744.html 

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