Holy Trinity Bishop Crowther Primary School

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The Holy Trinity Bishop Crowther Primary School opened in 1865 in Kogi State, Nigeria. Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther and other colonial masters established the school as a way for the people of Nigeria to receive early education in a school instead of learning from home. “The school was named the Bishop Crowther LGA Primary School and it shares the same ground with the Holy Trinity Anglican Church. It is presently managed by the government; however; it has since been renamed The Holy Trinity Primary School.”1 The school is still a working primary school for the children that live in present-day Kogi state.

In Pre-colonial Nigeria, informal education was in existence and this was achieved in a family setting or in the community by learning from different parents and elders.2 Before the colonizers came to Nigeria, education was not very organized in buildings with individual teachers teaching students in classrooms. It was very informal and different throughout each tribe. The British brought over western education, which was not present in Nigeria before their arrival. This led to the British influencing their systems of thinking on the Nigerian people who used the schools established by the British.3

This site is currently not listed as a historical monument or site. This site should be preserved and recognized as a historical site because it represents a part of Nigeria’s history. It was built during a time of colonization and was a way for children to learn. However, it has been neglected by the government at the federal, state and local levels. The building is not in good condition, and there is not much being done to preserve it. The school has been abandoned without the proper maintenance, and in the stages of decaying. There were leaders of the church who wanted to have the school be relocated to convert it into a missionary center, but this failed, which resulted in some colonial structures of the building to be demolished. There are over 500 students in the school, and because of poor conditions of the building, there are now between 50 and 60 students in each classroom, when there is a twenty to thirty student capacity in each room. The ceilings in the classrooms are beginning to fall down and the floors are not in good condition either. There are not many chairs and desks with no modern-day teaching, learning materials or facilities. The Parent Teacher Association at the school is trying to fix up the building so that the children can receive a good education. They are hoping for the government to take action and help with the maintenance of the building. An old student of the school, Kabiru Yusuf, advised that the government try and rehabilitate the school so they can preserve it as a historical relic or tourist attraction.4 There have been some demands from the school that have been sent to the government, but nothing so far. The hope is that parts of the building can be turned into a tourist attraction or a historical site one day.