The church and education the contribution of the church missionary society to education in Western Kenya, 1905 - 1963

Abstract

In this thesis it has been argued that since man learns fro. past experience, the study of history of education is an important subject in the study of Educational foundation. It is therefore important that the educational work of missionary bodies in Kenya should be studied to give the link between the past and the pr sent. It has also been pointed out that many times some people Africans and Europeans alike have expressed the opinion that b for the coming of Europeans to Western Kenya (and Kenya in general) there was no education. This is not true for from time immemorial the Western Kenyans had their own systems through which their accumulated experience were transmitted from one generation to another. What is true is that except for very few cases the Africans' method of education were largely informal. The coming of Europeans to e tern Kenya at the beginning of ,the 20th Century radically altered the Africa _t social, political and economic set up. As a result the traditional arrangements could no longer effectively prepare " -Africans for life in the new society. Because of this and also because of the fact that African traditional education was unsuitable for European purposes, new ways of meeting the Changed circumstances had to be found. The European missionaries who included C.M.S., et these challenges by setting up , formal Schools after the European pattern. In doing this (v) the Christian missions laid the foundations on which the present Kenya system of education is built. Gradually the C.M.S. pioneered in Teacher Training and Secondary School work in western Kenya. In the process they built, in the same area, Maseno, one of the most important secondary schools in Kenya. As the society participated in education and throughout the relevant period) stressed religion as an educational aim in their primary, secondary and T.T.C. survival of the Church of England by in eased membership was a major consideration. This had the important result of influencing the type of curricular the C.M.S. offered in their schools and Teachers Training Colleges. The C.M.S. ensured that besides paying attention to what they believed was the b at form of education and government requirements, they also offered the type of education required by Africans So that they would attract the Africans to their schools and ultimately to the Church of England. Due to a variety of reasons the Africans of Western Kenya between 1905 and 1963 preferred literary education to a largely practical one. Because of this C.M.S. for the most part, especially after 1930, while not neglecting the practical curriculum largely literary curriculum. Therefore the current popular accusation that Christian Missions in collaboration with the colonial administration intentionally refused to give the Africans practical (vi) and vocational training and therefore they are solely responsible for the current lack of skill d manpower in independent Kenya is unfounded. Besides it has been argued that the C.M.S. provided examples (good and bad) in several other aspect of education. For instance they stressed a religious approach to education, called for common as opposed to denominational school leaving examinations, helped to formulate better selection procedures for those who would continue with higher education and. together with other Protestant missionary societies enhanced girls' education by encouraging from an early date, co-education in the primary and intermediate Schools. Because of these and many other instance pointed out in the text, it has been concluded that between 1905 and 1963.The C.M.S. made significant contributions to education in Western Kenya.