Mariannhill Mission and African education, 1882-1915.

Abstract

In 1880 a group of 31 Trappist monks arrived in South Africa for the first time. Two years later they founded the now famous Mariannhill mission in the vicinity of Pinetown, west of Durban. The purpose of this thesis is to trace the history of the Mariannhill mission, with particular reference to its contribution to African education. The thesis examines the policies of education at Mariannhill schools, and aims to illustrate the fact that despite the invaluable contribution that missionaries made to African education, their achievements were often marred by their usual practice of subordinating education to religious concerns. The study covers the period between 1882, when Mariannhill mission was established, and 1915, when St. Francis College came into being. The intended aims and goals of the missionaries at Mariannhill will be outlined, their obstacles investigated and their overall success and failure assessed.