Arguments have been made and evidences given by students of History of Education that Western Education in The Gambia did not start in 1823 by Hanna Killham in Bakau, but in 1455 in Foni Kansala by the Portuguese settlers in this part of The Gambia.

The aim of the author in this article therefore is to bring out facts and activities that led to the introduction of Western Education in The Gambia in years 1455 - 1661.  The second article (Part II) would then follow.

The years 1455 - 1661
The years 1455 - 1661 marked the beginning of European activities in The Gambia. Those activities were concerned  mainly, though by no means entirely with trade.

It was in their quest for wealth - mainly mineral wealth in The Gambia that some of the Europeans made attempts to establish settlements and Christianity or Western Education for that matter in the country.

However, they found it extremely difficult to sow the seeds of their western culture in The Gambia.

The Portuguese - 1455 - 1588
The Portuguese were the first European nation to start Christian and Western Education in The Gambia.

There were series of organised expeditions to the River Gambia in the 15th Century and finally in 1455 they a found settlement in The Gambia.

It has been reported that they settled some twenty miles up the Bintan Bolong, closed to the modern village of Foni Kansala.

 It was here that they built their first Church school in The Gambia.

Evidence has it that, some Portuguese missionaries from portugal and Cape Verde Islands occasionally came to this settlement and taught the settlers and their descendants in this Church school how to read and write, so as to plant the seeds of Christianity in them.

This is evident in the fact that, a Spanish who was at Foni Kansala in 1686 reported that most of the original Portuguese settlers were the descendants of Jews who had been driven away from portugal  or fled to The Gambia to avoid the attentions of inquisition.

Others said that they were banished men or fugitives who committed serious incestuous acts for many years the missionaries made several attempts to preserve their nationality and bring them once more in touch with Europe and Christianity.

Yet it is doubtful, whether the indigenous people were taught to read and write in Western Education.

At any rate, we are told that they learnt a great deal of boat-craft and seamanship from the Portuguese who were the leading navigators of the world at that time.

It is also reported that the indigenous people acquired a lot of skills in making weapons, cooking pots (iron pots) from the Portuguese.

Also the Portuguese imported may useful economic crops into the land, including orange, lime and paw-paw from Brazil.

They also introduced the cultivation of groundnuts into the country which is the most staple product and principal source of revenue in The Gambia.

The foregoing information has some implications for the process of technical and agricultural education ran by the Portuguese in The Gambia during this period.

One can say without doubt that the portuguese during this period did not only attempted to establish christian education in The Gambia but also  to introduce technical and agricultural education as well.

The Portuguese missionaries did not find their task easy at all in The Gambia . It should be noted that when the Portuguese left The Gambia in 1529 for the Gold Coast, the school was closed and that ended their educational activities in The Gambia.

The British 1580 - 1620
Next, came the British. A Portuguese refugee named Francisco Ferreira Piloted the English ships to The Gambia. They returned in 1588 with a good cargo of hides and ivory.

Another expedition was sent under Chevalieu de Briqueville in 1612 with number of ships to erect  forts on the riverbanks to establish a colony. Unfortunately, a large number of them died from sicknesses and the remaining ones returned home.

In 1621, Richad Jobson was sent to The Gambia. When he reached most of his people died of sickness.
Thus, the British interest was killed in The Gambia. In all these expeditions, they, unlike the Portuguese, never attempted to establish missionary education in The Gambia.

The Courlanders 1622 - 1661
By 1622 there came the Courlanders into The Gambia who attempted to establish Christian education in the country.

The Duke of Courland was interested to hold a land in The Gambia. He then purchased Andrew’s Island from the King of Essau.

He also purchased another plot of land at Juffere. He purchased Banjul Island from the King of Kombo. He also obtained another plot of land up the river at Gassani.

It is said that the Duke’s intention was not only to trade in The Gambia, but also to establish a permanent settlement of his own subjects on St Andrew’s Island.

For that matter he sent married people there with a pastor to look after their spiritual needs.

He was instructed by the Duke to see that their souls were brought to a true and a right understanding of God.

Thus, the Courlanders were the second Europeans to send missionaries to The Gambia to establish Christian education.

Thus, was the coming of the Orthodox church missionaries to The Gambia. They built a small church outside the fort where reading and writing were taught.

The Courlanders’ attempt in The Gambia was a failure. Sickness and death among the settlers as well as the mutinous character of the crew retarded the prosperity of the settlement.

The activities of the Courlanders were further arrested by the arrival of the English again in The Gambia. The Courlanders were therefore forced to leave the country. Thus their church school was closed.

By 1668 a new English company known as The Gambia Adventurers was formed. They took over all the royal adventurers’ forts and ports and established their trade along the river, Kombo, Barra and Gassani.

The Gambia Adventurers made no effective attempts to claim a monopoly of the trade in the country, and the king of Gassani called Magro allowed English, French, Dutch and Portuguese alike to trade in the country (Gambia).

The importance of this open-trade was that, the local people  had a full contact with the Europeans and later would accept some of the European values and culture.

The period (1455-1661) in The Gambia experienced some attempts by some European nations in establishing Christian and western education in the country, but failed in their tasks to make real achievement.

Only few converts could be got, and literacy in the field of western education could be regarded as nil. There were several factors contributing to this.