Brother Slattery Wins an Essay Contest : An Irish Christian Brother’s Influence on Education Reform in 1890s Newfoundland

In 1890, the Newfoundland government held an essay contest to solicit opinions on how best to reform its education system. There was widespread acknowledgment that the system was failing to provide a quality education for the colony’s children. The threat to churches’ control over schools led Irish...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ralph, Rebecca Faye
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: Department of History at the University of New Brunswick 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:http://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1085751ar
Description
Summary:In 1890, the Newfoundland government held an essay contest to solicit opinions on how best to reform its education system. There was widespread acknowledgment that the system was failing to provide a quality education for the colony’s children. The threat to churches’ control over schools led Irish Catholic Christian Brother John Slattery to enter the essay contest. Slattery was victorious, though his win was dubious. He proposed a church-led conservative approach to educational reform, which led to the rise of a cooperative denominational paradigm that entrenched church control over schooling in Newfoundland and Labrador for more a century. En 1890, le gouvernement de Terre-Neuve organisa un concours de rédaction pour solliciter des opinions sur la meilleure façon de réformer son système d’éducation. Il était largement reconnu que le système ne fournissait pas une éducation de qualité aux enfants de la colonie. La menace qui en résultait pour le contrôle des églises sur les écoles incita le frère chrétien d’Irlande John Slattery à s’inscrire au concours de rédaction. Slattery remporta le concours, quoique sa victoire ait été douteuse. Il proposa une approche prudente en préconisant que la réforme en éducation soit dirigée par les églises, ce qui mena à un paradigme de coopération confessionnelle qui consacra le contrôle des églises sur l’éducation à Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador durant plus d’un siècle.