Three Instances of Western Colonial Governments and Christian Missions in Cameroon Education: 1884-1961 Asenju Callistus Tamanji Loyola University Chicago
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Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 2011 Three Instances of Western Colonial Governments and Christian Missions in Cameroon Education: 1884-1961 Asenju Callistus Tamanji Loyola University Chicago Recommended Citation Tamanji, Asenju Callistus, "Three Instances of Western Colonial Governments and Christian Missions in Cameroon Education: 1884-1961" (2011). Dissertations. Paper 106. http://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/106 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 2011 Asenju Callistus Tamanji LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO THREE INSTANCES OF WESTERN COLONIAL GOVERNMENTS AND CHRISTIAN MISSIONS IN CAMEROON EDUCATION: 1884-1961 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY PROGRAM IN CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL POLICY STUDIES BY ASENJU CALLISTUS TAMANJI CHICAGO, ILLINOIS AUGUST 2011 Copyright by Asenju Callistus Tamanji, 2011 All rights reserved. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This has been a very challenging, difficult, and long journey. I am very thankful to God for His blessings. I am grateful to all my former professors, mentors, colleagues and friends, whose encouragement and support helped me to complete this work. However, the following deserve special recognition. I am thankful to my committee members Dr. Noah W. Sobe, Associate Director of my program and chair of my dissertation committee, for his relentless guidance, patience, and understanding; Dr. Ann- Marie Ryan, whose expertise in documentary research methods has been very valuable; and Dr. Patrick Boyle for his valuable and insightful contributions. I also recognize Dr. Erwin H. Epstein, Director of my program, who particularly challenged me to do the commute between Wisconsin and Illinois in order that I would someday become a comparativist. I am also grateful to my family relatives, especially my only and elder brother, Mr. Azuni Leonard Tamanji, and his family, who has relentlessly and multidimensionally supported me, his only sibling and junior orphan brother, given the fact that our parents both passed away when we were teenagers; and Mr. Bijengsi Jerome Biche, and his family, for his prayers and encouragement. Finally, I am grateful to my family: my wife, Mrs. Marie Muluemebet Tamanji, for her concern and support, and my children, Abel Abongnwi Tamanji, Amos Alahnwi Tamanji, and my twins, Aden Ngwenwi Tamanji and iii Aaron Akahnwi Tamanji, who have occasionally missed that fatherly support when I had to research and write. iv To the creator of Africa, the ancestors and descendants of the Asenju lineage, and my late parents, Ba’ah Tamanji Joseph Asenju III and Moyi Ngwenwi Veronica Tamanji and all their grandchildren, in particular Abel Abongnwi Tamanji, Amos Alahnwi Tamanji, and the twins, Aden Ngwenwi Tamanji and Aaron Akahnwi Tamanji, that they may continue to pass on that legacy of crusading for humanity to their children and grandchildren as well. May the people of God be blessed for crusading for humanity. —Nwi-forh Ngwe Ndier Tamanji Joseph Asenju III buh Tamanji Veronica Ngwenwi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xii ABSTRACT xiii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 Statement of the Problem 1 Significance of the Study 1 Scope of the Study 3 Research Questions 3 Theoretical, Conceptual, and Contextual Framework 4 Researcher’s Themes on Governments and Missionary Relations 13 (1) The power of agenda setting and initiating colonial formal schools. 13 (2) Colonial conflicts in the center (or metropole) versus outcomes in the peripheries (colonies). 14 (3) Gender-related issues. 14 (4) Mission successes at the local level of colonial societies. 15 (5) Agreements and disagreements between colonial governments and missions. 15 (6) Conversion of colonial subjects to Western ideals. 15 (7) The missions’ need for state power. 16 Nature of Government and Missionary Relations in Cameroon 16 Purpose of and Necessity for this Research 18 Literature Review of the History of Education in Cameroon from 1884-1961 19 Methodology and Sources 24 CHAPTER TWO: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND BEFORE EUROPEAN ARRIVAL, ANNEXATION, AND COLONIZATIONS 26 Introduction 26 Location of Cameroon 27 Pre-colonial Contacts of Africans and Europeans in the Region 27 Pre-colonial Western Mission Formal Schools from 1844 to 1884 30 The Establishment of Early Mission Formal Schools 32 Jamaican Baptist Mission Formal Schools 33 British Baptist Mission Formal Schools 34 American Presbyterian Mission Formal Schools 36 The Nonexistence of Catholic Missionary Education 40 CHAPTER THREE: THE GERMAN COLONIAL EDUCATION ERA, 1884-1914 43 Events and Long-Term Reasons for the German Colonization of Africa 44 Strategies and Immediate Reasons for the Annexation of Cameroon 45 Use of Military Power in the Coastal Regions 46 Use of Military Power in the Grassland Regions 47 vii Resistance to the German Occupation 50 The German Scramble for and Partition of Africa 52 Government and Missionary Policy Differences in the German Metropole/Center 52 Government and Missionary Relations in Cameroon (Colony/Periphery) 53 German Colonial Administrative Hierarchy in Cameroon 54 German Colonial Education and Language Policy Developments 54 Government and Missionary Alliances to Establish Colonial Formal Schools 56 Government and Missionary Education Initiatives in Cameroon, 1844-1907 59 Government/Mission Relations during the Julius von Soden Era 60 Government/Mission Relations during the Eugene von Zimmerer Era 68 Government Relations during the Jesko von Puttkamer Era 71 Educational Developments from 1884 to 1907 78 The Education Conference of 1907 80 Government and Missionary Relations during the Theodor Seitz Era 81 The Education Decree of 1910 and Its Implementation 87 Government Relations during the Otto Gleim Era 88 Government and Missionary Relations during the Karl Ebermaier Era 92 The Education Decree of 1913 and Its Implementation 93 Expansion of the German Colonial Educational System up until World War I 98 Cameroon Pioneer Students in German Universities 100 End of German Colonial Rule and Education System 101 Conclusion 103 CHAPTER FOUR: THE BRITISH COLONIAL EDUCATION ERA, 1914-1945 109 Introduction 109 Military Force, Resistance, and Occupation 110 British Colonial Administrative Hierarchy in Cameroon 112 British Colonial Education Policy Developments in Cameroon 113 Colonial Educational Policy Initiatives by British Colonial Authorities 115 Education Policy Reports from 1919 to 1922 119 Educational Policy Developments in 1925 121 Implementation of Colonial Education Policy Objectives 125 The Categorization of Schools 129 Vernacular Formal Schools 130 School Curriculum and Teacher Qualifications 131 Government and Missionary Conflicts and Resolutions in the Region 134 Government and Missionary Collaboration and Expansion of Schools 136 Alliances with Western Christian Missionaries and Missionary Formal Schools 136 Government Administration Formal Schools 139 Native Administration Formal Schools 142 School Administrative Challenges and Solutions 148 Teacher Shortage and the Establishment of Teacher Training Centers 148 Teacher Training Curricula and Instruction 152 School Staffing, Supplies, and School Inspections and Supervision 155 The Grants-in-Aid Program to Mission Schools 157 viii School Fees Policy, Primary Education Programs, Promotion Examination Board 159 Conclusion 160 CHAPTER FIVE: THE BRITISH COLONIAL EDUCATION ERA, 1946-1961 164 Introduction 164 Colonial Educational Policies after World War II 165 Colonial Education Policy Initiatives by British Authorities 169 The Use of Vernacular Languages in Primary Schools 170 The Educational Memorandum of 1947 171 Southern Cameroon’s Department of Education and Administrative Hierarchy 175 The Central Board of Education 176 The Provision of Grants-in-Aid 179 School Fees and Education Rates 181 Needed Expansion of Teacher Training Centers 186 Christian Missionary Higher Education Contributions 186 Government Higher Education Contributions 189 Secondary Education by Christian Missionaries 191 Vocational and Technical Education 196 Cameroon Pioneer Students in British Universities 197 Conclusion 200 CHAPTER SIX: THE FRENCH COLONIAL EDUCATION ERA, 1914-1945 202 Introduction 202 Government and Missionary Policy Differences in the French Metropole 203 World War I and French Colonial Interests for Cameroon 206 Military Force, Resistance, Occupation, and Administrative Hierarchy 207 Government and Missionary Policy Differences in Cameroon (Colony/Periphery) 208 French Colonial Education and Language Policy Initiatives for Cameroon 209 French Government and Missionary Education Initiatives in Cameroon, 1914-1939 211 Government and Missionary Relations during the Joseph Ayermich Era 212 Government and Missionary Relations during the Lucien Fourneau Era 214 Government and Missionary Relations during the Jules Carde Era 218 Government and Missionary Relations during the Théodore Paul Marchand Era 223 Government and Missionary Relations during the Paul Bonnecarrère Era 230 Government and Missionary Relations during the Pierre François Boisson Era 232 The Establishment of Missionary Formal Schools 233 Alliances with Western