The Most Rev. Cyril Foster Garbett, Archbishop of York, officially opened the Queen’s School at 119 Constant Spring Road, emphasising the true purpose of education. In his address, he defined education as the development of the whole personality of the child to utilise their gifts for the greater glory of God and service to others. The event was attended by various dignitaries, including the Governor, Chief Justice, Chief Minister, and the Mayor. The Rt. Rev. Basil Dale, Lord Bishop of Jamaica, presided over the function, and the Archbishop praised the Diocese for its contributions to education.

PUBLISHED WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1954

Dr Garbett opens The Queen’s School

THE REAL PURPOSE of education is the development of the whole personality of the child so that the child may be able to use any gifts or talents he or she posseses for the greater glory of God and for the service of his fellowmen.”

This definition of the purpose of education was given on Monday by His Grace the Archbishop of York, the Most Rev. Cyril Foster Garbett, when he declared open the Queen’s School at 119 Constant Spring Road on Monday.

The Rt. Rev. Basil Dale, Lord Bishop of Jamaica, presided over the function, which was witnessed by a large gathering including the Governor, Sir Hugh Foot and Lady Foot; the Chief Justice, Sir Kenneth O’Connor; the Hon. Alexander Bustamante, Chief Minister; the Mayor, Mr Cleveland Walker; representatives of the Ministry of Education; other demoninations, parents, friends, and well-wishers.

The Archbishop devoted the greater part of his address to setting out the aims of true Christian education in producing “useful citizens of sound moral  virtue.”

The Rt. Rev. Basil Dale, Lord Bishop of Jamaica, presided.  Other speakers included the Ven Arch deacon E.L. Evans, Chairman of the Board of Governors, and the Hon. Edwin Allen, Minister of Education and Social Welfare.

Following the singing of the hymn “Praise My Soul the King of Heaven”, His Lordship extended the welcome.  He was proud, he said, to invite those present to inspect the new Anglican school – a new baby born into the educational world of Jamaica.  He said the school would provide for both boys and girls.

It was decided to name the school The Queen’s School as it was to be opened within a couple months of the visit of the Queen.

“The third question usually asked about a new baby iIs, is it like its mother? The mother is the Anglican Church, and we can say quite definitely, this school is going to be like Mother. Children educated here are going to be brought up in the Anglican tradition – sound learning and devotion, serving in strong moral standard.”

Primate welcome

He spoke of the brothers and sisters that the new baby would have -  They Kingston College, DeCarteret Preparatory School, St. Hugh’s High School with its preparatory department.

 

He was also proud to welcome those present because they had with them the Primate of England, the Lord Archbishop of York.

"This is my first opportunity of welcoming him publicly to the Diocese.” Bishop Dale said. “I do welcome you with all my heart and thank you for the inspiration you are bringing to this in coming to listen to some of our problems and difficulties.

“We thank you for the help we shall receive from you in trying to solve some of our insoluble problems.  It is surely a splendid thing for a new secondary school  - the achievement of which is an important thing in Jamaica at the present time – a splendid thing that it should be sent on its way and declared open officially by no less a person than His Grace the Lord Archbishop of York.”

Archdeacon Evans then told of the “inception and aims of the new school.”  He said for more than two years, discussions had been taking place in committee about the new school, and at the last meeting of Synod, it was decided that the Diocesan Council and Finance Board should take the necessary steps to establish a new day school in the Corporate Area, where there was a tremendous demand for that type of school.

The next difficulty was in finding a property that had sufficient  of playing fields.  They were fortunate in being able to secure that particular property, which they hoped to make more and more like a school and to improve its playing fields.

He said there would be a girls’ secondary school upstairs and a preparatory department for boys and girls downstairs.

They were fortunate in securing the services of Mrs. Anne Chambers as Headmistress and Miss Adela Anderson as head of the Kindergarten Department, he added.

The work of restoring the building was done by Mr. George Hart, architect and builder, and he had done a “fine job of work.”

Mr. Allen paid tribute to the work tht the Church in Jamaica – not only the Anglican Church, but denominations – had done for education.  He recalled the early days when the Church received very little assistance from government in their educational work and expressed the hope that The Queen’s School would get a larger grant-aid when it became a grant-aided school than that given to Church.

He spoke of the value of a Christian education and said he would like to see the boys and girls who graduated from that school, by their conduct in life, prove to the world the benefit of the good Christian education they received as boys and girls.

The pupils sang a hymn.

Education drive

In his speech, the Archbishop said: “I am delighted to come here not only to visit your Diocese, but also to visit the island with such a history behind it and with such wonderful beauty in it.  Although my time here is short, I hope very much to see a good deal of the island and to hear something of its many problems."

He then gave a history of how the Archbishop of York came to be known as the Primate of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury as the Primate of All England.

He continued: “I should like to congratulate the Diocese for all that it has done for education in these last years.  Not only in these last years, but also for what it has done for education in the distant past in this island.  In the last years, there have been such responsibility and difficulties owing to the losses and damage caused by the hurricane as well as difficulties caused in other ways, and it seems to me I should like to congratulate the whole island for the interest it is taking in education and in the advances which it has been making.

“When we are talking about education, sometimes we feel it necessary to ask the question, What do you mean by Christian education? or, What is the real purpose of education?”

“There are various inadequate answers we give to this question.  There are some who say education ought to be intended to make the boy or girl fit for the particular vocation in which they are going to engage during the test of their lives.”  His Grace continued.

“There is truth in that answer that there should be a vocational element in education – the training of the boy or girl for the particular work they will undertake in later life.  It is not a complete definition.

"The true definition is something much more complete and wider.

“There are others who say education is intended to turn out a child as a capable, obedient, and submissive citizen of the State.  That is the answer that would be given by a totalitarian state.  Turn the child into the tool of the State which the State may use as the State thinks best.

“It is right that in all true education there should be some teaching of good citizenship, and the child should be taught of his or her duty to the whole community. No education is complete unless it has within it a strong element of the teaching of the duties and rights of citizenship.

 

“In modern days, there is another definition never expressed, but in the minds of many, about the purpose of education. It will never be expressed. No one will have the courage of expressing it, but there are many who feel that education is a useful thing if it helps a child to pass examinations and gain various important and sometimes necessary certificates.

 

“That is a hopelessly wrong and inadequate conception of education. Examinations are necessary. We cannot escape from them. They are valuable both for stimulating work and testing knowledge ,but on the other hand, there is very real danger that such great efforts may be spent in preparing a child for an examination that proper education is neglected.”

The Archbishop spoke of the danger of "cramming” and the fact that so many people forgot what they had learned a few years after leaving school.

Continuing, His Grace said: “Now I come to my definition of the real purpose of education, namely, the development of the whole personality of the child so that the child may be able to use any gifts and talents he or she possesses for the glory of God and for the service of his fellowman (applause).”

The Archbishop went on to refer to the Christian concept of the child as an individual, each with a different personality, and stressed the importance of developing those personalities as distinct from regarding them as average types.

After speaking of the value of religious teaching, he declared the building open and congratulated those responsible for its conversion into a school.

The Rt. Rev. Percival Gibson, Suffragan Bishop of Kingston, led in prayer and the Archbishop pronounced the Benediction.

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