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Papers of John O. Sykes

 Single Item
Shelfmark: MSS. Afr. s. 716
Held at the Weston Library

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The papers are contained in a single box and are entirely devoted to educational subjects. Mr Sykes had organised, labelled, and created a list of these items, prior to the collection's deposition with the Project. The numbers in brackets at the end of the descriptions below refer to this system of organisation.

(items 1-18) Uganda Protectorate Education Department - General:

  1. (item 1) Suggestions for the Appointment of Administrative Educational Officers, Jan 1936, by H. Jowitt, Director of Education. 4 pages (3)
  2. (item 2) (a) covering memorandum addressed by H. Jowitt, Director of Education, to members of the Advisory Council for African Education in Jul 1937, forwarding the five papers following. 4 pages (4); (b) preliminary draft of Conditions governing the award of Grants-in-aid to African Schools. 29 pages (5); (c) Schedule of Proposed Grants-in-aid. 8 pages (6); (d) preliminary statement regarding the Primary Teachers' Certificate Course. 9 pages (8); and (e) preliminary statement regarding Language Policy (see also item 25). 15 pages (9)
  3. (item 3) minutes of the 19th Meeting of the Advisory Council for African Education, 28 Oct 1939. 8 pages (11); and comments on the minutes by J. Sykes, Deputy Director of Education. 2 pages (12)
  4. (item 4) minutes of the Toro District Board of Education, 29 Mar 1940. 5 pages (13)
  5. (item 5) report of the African Education Committee, 1940. (Chairman - H.B. Thomas, Director of Surveys). 47 pages (14)
  6. (item 6) closing of King's College, Budo, 1942; extract from the Uganda Herald. 1 page (14A)
  7. (item 7) Memorandum on the Education of European children in Uganda by J. Sykes, Deputy Director of Education, Aug 1944. 3 pages (15)
  8. (item 8) memorandum addressed to members of the Advisory Council for Indian Education by J.R. Cullen, Director of Education, regarding redistribution of cost and control of Indian Education between Government and the Indian Communities, Jan 1946. 4 pages (16)
  9. (item 9) Junior School Leaving Examination for Indian Schools, Nov 1944. Papers in Arithmetic, Algebra, and the History of the British Empire. 4 pages (17)
  10. (item 10) proceedings of a conference, convened by the Director of Education, Uganda, to consider the Report of a Sub-Committee on the Education of Women and Girls in Africa. (African No. 1169) Oct 1943. Chairman H. Jowitt, Director of Education. 17 pages (18)
  11. (item 11) report of the Conference on Primary Training, Aug 1944. Chairman H. Jowitt. 14 pages (19)
  12. (item 12) report of a conference convened by the Director of Education to consider the Memorandum on Language in African School Education by the Advisory Committee on Education in the Colonies. (African No. 1170) Oct 1944. Chairman H. Jowitt. 12 pages (20)
  13. (item 13) report of the Technical Training Committee, Nov 1944. 17 pages (21)
  14. (item 14) Outline Scheme of Development for African Education 1944-1954 ('The Ten Year Plan'), drawn up by H. Jowitt, 1944. 47 pages (22)
  15. (item 15) Advisory Committee on Education in the Colonies. Report of the Sub-Committee appointed to consider a scheme for the development of African Educational Services in Uganda. 10 pages (23)
  16. (item 16) Despatch No. 50 from the Secretary of State, Oliver Stanley, forwarding and commenting on the above report, 24 May 1945. 3 pages (24)
  17. (item 17) memorandum by J. Sykes, Acting Director of Education, regarding the two foregoing items and the Tanganyika (Tanzania) proposals, 29 Sep 1945. 9 pages (25)
  18. (item 18) Specimens of 11 certificates issued by the Uganda Education Department, with Instructions to Examination Candidates on inner cover. 11 pages (26).

(items 19-29) Languages and Language Policy:

  1. (item 19) The Development of Kiswahili as an Educational and Administrative Language in the Uganda Protectorate. Memorandum by Sir W.F. Cowers (Governor of Uganda, 1925-1932), 25 Nov 1927, and related correspondence with the Secretary of State, W. Ormsby-Gore, Sep to Dec 1927. 7 pages (83)
  2. (item 20) Rules for Luganda Orthography. Based on a Report of the Committee of 1925, Chairman E.R.J. Hussey, Director of Education, n.d. 6 pages (84)
  3. (item 21) Examination Paper Luganda Grammar, Lower Standard (Old Regulations). 12 pages (85)
  4. (item 22) Report of the Proceedings of the Language Conference held at Rejaf, Sudan, Apr 1928, Chairman J.G. Matthew, Secretary for Education, Health, etc., Sudan. 55 pages (86)
  5. (item 23) Appendix III to the above Report, Alphabets adopted by the Conference. 3 pages (87)
  6. (item 24) The Structure of a Bantu Language, with special reference to Swahili, or Form and Function through Bantu Eyes, by E.O. Ashton. Reprinted from the Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, University of London, Vol. VIII, Part 4, 1937. 16 pages (88)
  7. (item 25) Memorandum on Language Policy, Feb 1937, by H. Jowitt (see item 2). 8 pages (89)
  8. (item 26) Ganda Literature by R.A. Snoxall, reprinted from African Studies, Mar 1942. 10 pages (90)
  9. (item 27) Akarimojong - Swahili - English Vocabulary, c. 1942. Compiled by the Rev. R.S. and Mrs Clark of the Bible Churchmen’s Missionary Society (BCMS) Mission, Lotome, Karamoja. 31 pages (91)
  10. (item 28) A point of view. Memorandum addressed to the Honourable A.H. Cox, Resident of Buganda, concerning the deteriorating standard of Luganda spoken by European Officers, and the relative popularity of Kiswahili and Luganda amongst the African Population, by J.T. Kennedy, Veterinary and Information Departments, c. 1943. 2 pages (92)
  11. (item 29) Standard Luganda. Rules of Spelling. Published by the Uganda African Literature Committee according to the 1947 Orthography Conference. Authorised by the Protectorate and Buganda Governments. 7 pages (93)

(items 30-33) Conference of East African Directors of Education:

  1. (item 30) Proceedings of the Conference of Directors of Education of Kenya, Tanganyika, Uganda, and Zanzibar, held at Makerere, Feb-Mar 1936; Chairman H. Jowitt, Uganda. 11 pages (94). The Directors' Inspection Report on Makerere College, 1936. 25 pages, with appendix (95)
  2. (item 31) Proceedings of the Conference of Directors of Education of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanganyika, held in Kampala, 19-23 May 1944; Chairman C.E. Donovan, Kenya. 5 pages with appendices (96)
  3. (item 32) Proceedings of the Conference of Directors of Education of Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika, and Zanzibar held in Nairobi, 5-6 Jun 1945; Chairman J. Sykes, Uganda. 7 pages with appendices (97)
  4. (item 33) Proceedings of the Conference of Directors of Education of Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika, and Zanzibar, held in Kampala on 1-3 Oct 1945; Chairman J. Sykes, Uganda. 6 pages (98). Appendix included with the above. Minutes of a Special Meeting of the East African Directors of Education held at Kampala on 2 Oct 1945, for the purpose of discussing the proposed establishment of a University Press and Inter-Territorial Literature and Language Bureau; Chairman G.C. Turner, Principal of Makerere College. 1 page (99).

(items 34-43) Makerere College, miscellaneous:

  1. (item 34) Blue print Lay-out Plan for the Estate of the Education Department, including Makerere College, Nov 1925. Drawn by H.O. Savile, Superintendent of Technical Studies. 1 page (100)
  2. (item 35) Memorandum regarding the Proposed Commission (De La Warr Commission) to examine and advise on the Development of the Makerere College, with suggested terms of reference, Dec 1935, by H. Jowitt. 4 pages (103)
  3. (item 36) Makerere College Daily Rations Sheet 1936. 1 page (104)
  4. (item 37) Cost to the Government of maintaining a student at Makerere College, 1936 (approx. £80 p.a.) 1 page (105)
  5. (item 38) Confidential Memorandum No. 3 to the members of Makerere College regarding apprenticeship as a qualification for admission to Professional Courses at the College, Sep 1942, by G.C. Turner, Principal. 5 pages (108)
  6. (item 39) (a) memorandum addressed to the members of the Sub-Committee of the Makerere College Union Society (MCUS) regarding the admission of Non-African Students to Makerere College, Nov 1942, by J. Kakoza, Representative of the MCUS to the Makerere College Assembly. (b) The report on it by the Sub-Committee to the MCUS Committee, Nov 1942. (c) Excerpt from the minutes of that Committee, held on 30 Nov 1942, giving instructions to the Representative to inform the Assembly that at present it deprecated the admission of Non-African students. 3 pages (109)
  7. (item 40) memorandum addressed to the Members of the Makerere College Council regarding the difficulty arising from the Inter-Territorial Status of Makerere College, Jun 1944, by G.C. Turner, Principal. 3 pages (110)
  8. (item 41) confidential memorandum to the Members of the Makerere College Council regarding the College's inability to acquire 200 acres of adjoining land, considered essential for its development, owing to lack of support from Lukiko and the unwillingness of the Protectorate Government to resort to compulsory purchase, 1944, by G.C. Turner, Principal. 1 page (111)
  9. (item 42) specimen of Teacher's Diploma, Makerere College. 1 page (120)
  10. (item 43) specimen of testimonial accompanying the Teacher's Diploma. 1 page (121).

(items 44-46) African Education - General:

  1. (item 44) 'Note on The Educable Capacity of the African', by H.S. Scott, Director of Education, Kenya. 20 pages (128)
  2. (item 45) Remarks on the Secretary of State's Despatch of 15 Aug 1934 regarding university education for Africans and accompanying Memorandum by H.S. Scott and E.G. Morris, by J. Sykes, Master of Method, Makerere College, 1934. Addressed to the Director of Education, Uganda. 6 pages (129)
  3. (item 46) (a) An Experiment in Mass Education by Capt. Alex Dickson, commanding the Mobile Propaganda Unit and (b), (c), and (d), correspondence concerning it between the author and J. Sykes, Acting Director of Education, Uganda, Aug to Oct 1944. 33 pages (173).

Dates

  • Creation: 1925-1946

Extent

1 box

Language of Materials

  • English
  • Ganda
  • Swahili

Preferred Citation

Oxford, Bodleian Libraries [followed by shelfmark and folio or page reference, e.g. MSS. Afr. s. 716, item 1].

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Shelfmark:

MSS. Afr. s. 716

Collection ID (for staff)

CMD ID 4465

Additional Description

Abstract

Papers of John O. Sykes, colonial educationist.

Biographical / Historical

John O. Sykes, OBE, was born in 1892. In 1925, he became Master of Method and Vice-Principal of Makerere College, Uganda. At regular periods, he was acting Principal of the College and, for a short time during 1936, he was also acting Deputy Director of Education. In Apr 1939, Sykes was appointed Deputy Director of Education and took up his post in Aug. In the same year, he became Chairman of Kampala Township Authority and also Censor for the Colony. However, among these papers there is no record of his work in either capacity. For nearly four years from 1941, Sykes was acting Director of Education; he returned to the post of Deputy Director in 1945 and retired in 1947.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Initially deposited with the Oxford Colonial Records Project in 1966 by John Sykes OBE; the collection was transferred to the library from the Oxford Development Records Project. The material was originally part of a larger collection; the rest consisted of entirely printed material and has therefore been treated separately.

Related Materials

Papers of John O. Sykes relating to education in Uganda (ref. MSS. Afr. s. 2533).

Subjects

Related Names

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Catalogue of the papers of John O. Sykes
Status
Published
Author
Original catalogue by P.M. Pugh; Collection Level Description by Marion Lowman.
Date
1966; EAD version 2024
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Edition statement
Second edition.

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Bodleian Libraries Repository

https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/weston
Contact:
Weston Library
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Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom

Physical Storage Information for Staff

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