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of the country's natural resources.
Public resentment and political decisions with respect to foreign
traders and investors operating in the Republic at the same time
affected the official attitude towards foreign missionaries.
Under Government pressure the educational efforts of the
missionaries began to diminish in the 1870's following the
passing of the Ports of Entry Act (1865) which had restricted
the activities of foreign traders in the Republic. Towards the
end of the 19th century and in the beginning of the present
century educational activities by the numerous missions active
in the country were revived. This coincided with a gradual
change in attitude towards foreign investors and traders (see
Chapter 2).
Around the turn of the century, in 1900, the educational
activities of the Liberian Government became institutionalized
with the creation of a Bureau of Education (January 26, 1900 -
during the Administration of President G.W. Gibson), raised to
the status of Department twelve years later (February 5, 1912 -
during the Administration of President Daniel E. Howard) and
then called the Department of Public Instruction. Also in 1912
the National Legislature Imposed a school tax of one dollar per
head, and passed the General Education Act which made education
for children between the ages of six and sixteen compulsary.
Like so many laws passed by the National Legislature these two
laws were never enforced. (This General Education Act was
probably the only law at the time in Africa embodying the
principle of compulsary education for children).
The special school tax was fortunately hardly levied, since most
people would not have been able to bear this extra burden. In
1920 the tax yielded only $ 178; it rose to $ 1,109 in 1923 and
tripled to $ 3,609 the following year, in 1924 (29).
Expenditures on education were therefore very low - while most
of them were made by the (foreign) missions - and very unevenly
distributed. At the beginning of the present century a yearly
amount, of $ 40,000 was spent on education, primarily on primary
schools, but as President Arthur Barclay recognized in 1906,
the results were not satisfying (30). As Government revenues
dropped during the second decade of the century budgetary
allocations and actual expenditures of the Government for
education reflected this deteriorating situation - education
traditionally having one of the lowest priorities. In FY 1919/20
e.g. overall Government expenditures were over $ 311,000.00 of
which only $ 4,000.00 was spent on education. Half of this
amount was spent on Liberia College, all public schools
together in the Republic having the same amount disbursed (31).
Ten years later, in 1931, the Government Budget totalled
$ 419,195.59 of which less than 1 per cent ($ 3,936-40) was
for education (32). Also in this (second) example Government
Revenues and the country's Budget had been adversely affected by
external factors, i.e. the world economic crisis.