Teachers should take greater interest in teaching history

Too few teachers realize the importance of history says Minister of Education St Clair Jimmy Prince.

The Minister made his feelings known last Thursday, September 19 at Frenches House while speaking at the launch of “From Villain to National Hero – Chatoyer and the early struggle for the independence of St Vincent (Yurumein)”, the fifth publication by historian, Dr Adrian Fraser.

“All students and teachers and the wider community will benefit from the publication,” Prince told the gathering but noted that over the years, he has been trying to get teachers, especially those in secondary schools, to take a greater interest in the teaching of history.

Historian, Dr Adrian Fraser

“…But for them to teach it they themselves have to appreciate the importance of the subject to national development and our collective psyche and I am afraid to say that I don’t think that enough of them have decided that this is important enough for them pay attention,” the Minister commented.

He said that in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), there is paucity of information in respect to our history and there is neglect on the part of the teachers to embrace this and therefore students suffer.

“We will continue from the Ministry of Education to ensure that this happens and I know that this work (Dr Fraser’s Book) does not complete our history, it does not even complete the history of Chatoyer, but it goes a long way in clarifying our understanding of the struggle of the Garifuna and Chatoyer’s own role,” said Prince.

He added that the book seals the view of Dr Fraser as a serious chronicler of significant events in our history and comes at a time when we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the regaining of our independence which Chatoyer fought for and which his spirit has helped to sustain for over 200 years.

Prince welcomed the publication and the persistence of Dr Fraser in bringing us our own stories from our own perspectives.

“As he says in the book and I quote ‘to recover our history and to see the Calinagos and Garifuna not merely as objects as depicted by colonial writers and commentators but as subjects of their own history’.

“Of course, our past has been so full of missives and instructions and impositions from outside that we have developed a habit as defining ourselves according to the perception of others,” Prince commented.

“This generation needs to be told that resistance to foreign dominance and our quest for independence, freedom and sovereignty began with our indigenous forbearers,” said Prince who noted that Dr Fraser is telling this story very well as he is careful to give a backdrop of the geopolitics of the time, an outline of the dynamics of the settlement and the conquest of these islands which were seen as pearls and prizes in the expansion of the European empires.

Marketing Assistant at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus Ronnie Daniel said the book is a collaboration between Fraser and the UWI.

“As we embark on the Renewal at 40 initiative, it is our hope that Vincentians are inspired to guard their independence and sovereignty as Chatoyer did,” said Daniel who described Dr Fraser as the foremost expert on Vincentian history.

Dr Fraser’s other books include, ‘The First National Hero of SVG’, ‘From Shakers to Spiritual Baptist -The Struggle for Survival of the Shakers of SVG’ and ‘The 1935 Riots – From Riots to Adult Suffrage’.