Elementary Education in British Guiana. 107 
possession now, there appear two hundred and twenty-four aided schools. 
All these except thirteen estate schools, which are the property of sugar estates, 
belong to various religious denominations. In the same report, no trace 
whatever of the existence of what are called by the Ordinance Colonial Schools 
can be detected. Thus after the lapse of thirty-six years, for no such school 
has been started in the last year, the Inspector of Schools has not found it 
either convenient or necessary to establish a school. Apart from the two 
Government educational institutes, the Onderneeming School and the Orphan 
Asylum, no school established by the Government exists. As no mention of 
those two schools appears in the Inspector’s report, we cannot draw a compari- 
son between the education efficiency of those schools, and that of those belong- 
ing to the aided class. 
The Government has, therefore, it appears, left the establishing of schools to 
private individuals or religious bodies. Though it may be objected, that these 
hodies were already in possession at the time of the passing of the Ordinance, 
that objection will not hold especially with regard to many sparsely populated 
districts where no school existed, and where with advantage the Inspector 
of Schools might have established a school. The truth of the matter, therefore, 
is, that the religious bodies alone in the colony have had the welfare of the 
people sufficiently at heart to expend money and labour for their education, 
and yet some pretended educationists are opposed to the schools being under 
the Religious Denominations. What the principles are on which this opposi- 
tion is founded, they have not clearly defined. The Teachers’ Association has 
expressed its desire for Colonial schools and their motive is quite apparent to 
anyone who has followed the various speeches and discussions on the subject. 
They are convinced that if they served in Colonial schools their status would be 
improved, as they would then be Government servants. Their position as a 
class might be better, though it is very doubtful whether individuals would 
always receive as much consideration, as they usually do from the Religious 
authorities. Some years ago there was a certain outcry about arbitrary dis- 
missals of teachers by the Denominational Managers and a system of appee! 
was introduced by the Education Code, 1900. The appeals under this section 
have been singularly few. In my own denomination, a board to hear appeals 
was appointed, consisting of a clerical president and two lawyers. Only two 
cases have come before them in the twelve years. One was a dismissal for 
immorality, made summarily by myself, in order that the teacher might have 
the opportunity of an appeal and trial. His dismissal was confirmed. The 
other was the case of a teacher whose dismissal was demanded by the Governor, 
because he was alleged to have helped, to incite to riot, in 1905. His appeal 
was upheld and he still holds his school. There have been very few appeals, in 
the same period, made to the Executive Council. In fact, most of the teachers, 
of large Georgetown schools, as also of the more important country schools, 
have held their posts for a long series of years. Certificated teachers, who are 
clearly efficient, have every opportunity for employment and it is only the 
inefficient ones, who find it difficult to keep their positions. 
How the system of Colonial schools, as contemplated by the Ordinance, 
would have worked, we cannot tell, as such school do not exist. Under that 
