By Claudia Tomlinson
One of the key objectives of the University of the West Indies when it opened in 1948 in Jamaica, was to teach pupils and students the history of their region. Before 1834, it was largely forbidden to educate the majority of the population: the enslaved, trafficked Africans. Once universal education was started, it was modelled on the British education system. No differentiation was made of the education of a child going to school in Lethem, Guyana, to a child being educated in Leicester in the East Midlands of England. They all learned about the Kings and Queens of England, and sang Christmas carols about snowy winters and cosy, welcoming hearth fires at Christmas. The Guyanese pupils would have puzzled looking out at the 100 degrees sun whilst singing this. This was despite the rich cultural histories of those who lived in Guyana at the time, many who were brought from Africa, or who travelled from India, China and elsewhere. Part of the work of the University of the West Indies was to diversity the local curricula in schools and to introduce the local history of the peoples of the region. Many began to learn their histories for the first time. Cheddi Jagan, the Chief Minister, pushed through these innovations and developed the University of Guyana.