Die rol van die Hollander–onderwyser in die Transvaalse skoolwese tot 1905

Abstract

Although some of the schoolmasters who accompanied the Voortrekkers were Dutchmen, the actual role of the Dutch teacher was only apparent in the Transvaal since 1851, when the first three Dutch teachers, H. van der Linden, J.W. Spruyt and W. Poen, arrived in the Transvaal. In later years more Dutch teachers came to the Transvaal and during the Superintendency of N. Mansvelt, the Dutch made their greatest contribution towards educational development in the Transvaal. The role played by the Dutch teachers in the Transvaal can be briefly summarised as follows: •They contributed to the establishment and extension of a Christian National Educational system in the Transvaal. Before the arrival of the first Dutch teachers, education in the Transvaal was disorganized. Furthermore, education was a private matter in which use was made mainly of touring Boer schoolmasters. •The first educational laws were more or less accomplished with the aid of the Dutch teachers and clergy. •Through the years the Transvaal struggled with one great problem, namely the shortage of competent, well-trained teachers. In this respect the Dutch teachers played a great part because T.F. Burgers and, especially, N. Mansvelt, made ample use of their services. •With the founding of institutions for higher education, for instance the State Gymnasium and the State Model School, there was still no educational corps in the Transvaal which could meet the demand of teaching staff for these institutions. Consequently ample use was made of the services of Dutchmen on the staff of these institutions. • Since 1882 it was the duty of the Superintendent of Education to do inspection at schools. With the increasing number of schools, combined with the amount of administrative work, it was not possible for inspectors to carry out inspections any longer. In 1889 the first inspectors of education, of whom all three were Dutchmen, were appointed. Later the inspectorate was increased to six members, of whom five were Dutch. In those years, inspectors of education played an important part in the control of education, the provision of professional guidance for teachers, as well as the promotion of pupils. •Transvaal had nearly always been faced with the danger of Anglicization. In this sphere the Dutch teacher was seen as a definite bulwark against Anglicization. A clear example of the important contribution of the Dutch teacher in this respect was the founding of the private CNE schools.