History of Barewa College
The Long and Illustrious History of Barewa
Barewa College has a long and illustrious history that went through much iterations. The story started with the establishment of Katsina Training College.
Katsina Training College: The idea and initial proposal for the College sprang from the acting Director of Education, Northern Provinces, Mr. F.M. Urling Smith (Malam Smith) who had an interest in increased quality education through an enlarged and improved teaching staff. Since the Northern Provinces education system was to be along “native” lines, Urling Smith felt that the quality of African staff was crucial. According to Urling Smith the Normal class system failed to train teachers properly. He strongly felt that the educational system was stagnating and would continue to do so without the addition of African teachers who would be better trained than the existing ones. The proposal for a special teacher training facility received very little support as other Colonial officers, such as Hans Vischer (Dan Hausa) who was the Director of Education had earlier opposed the idea of a central school that was more advanced than the rest. Although, Lord Frederick Lugard the Governor of the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria had included it in his plans in 1917, the idea was rejected due to lack of funds and staff.
It was not until the coming of a new Governor, Sir Hugh Clifford that the proposed college received very important backing. Clifford’s main object of government education in the Northern Provinces was not to train northerners to compete with other Africans for government jobs, instead the Education Department was content in preparing them to work for the Native Administration. Thus, a training college seemed an acceptable first step towards a proper education policy.
Our Legacy
After the initial clash in view point as to the most suitable location for the college, Katsina was considered preferable to the new towns on the railway such as Kaduna, the Northern Provinces administrative headquarters. Several factors informed the choice of Katsina. First, Katsina had a reputation as an ancient seat of learning, it was hundreds of miles away from the railways with its “exotic” influence feared by the British colonisers. Other advantages which were in favour of Katsina include, financial considerations. Clifford was unwilling to incur the high initial cost of a permanent building. The Emir of Katsina, then Muhammadu Dikko (1906-1944, offered to arrange cheaper and better temporary (dried mud) accommodation. Clifford accepted the lower cost as sufficient reason to put the college in Katsina. In addition, Emir Muhammadu Dikko had demonstrated the most consistent interest and support for government education.
Although the colonial office was unwilling to invest the £20,000 needed for the permanent buildings, it rapidly approved the preliminary estimate of £4,000 for temporary buildings and £500 for equipment. By the end of 1921, the school was operational with students who were young adults and in some cases with families trekking or riding horses to Katsina from all over the Northern Provinces.
As Clifford put it in his speech at the formal and official opening ceremony of the College on March 5th, 1922:
It is very necessary that the young men who will receive their training at this College, and who will thereafter carry the torch of learning and knowledge to all parts of Muhammad an Emirates, should concentrate all their energies upon the tasks that is set them during their period of training. They should treasure no other desire than that of fitting themselves for the great work of teaching others.
They should not be careless about the observance of their religious duties, nor forgetful of the traditions of their fellow-countrymen, nor lacking in the respect and courtesy which they owe their parents, to all in positions of authority and to all old people.
It will fall to them to teach not only the lessons learned from books, but the good manners, the good behavior, the courteous deportment without which mere book learning is of little worth.
Every youth who is trained here will later be called himself to teach and train many others. Let each of them remember that “No man securely commands save he who hath learned well to obey”
At its inception, the new school directed its attention primarily at enrolling sons of the aristocracy, Emirs and those close to them were expected to send their children to school. Some did while others avoided sending their own offspring.
The Beginning of an Indigenous Era
During this period, almost all the staff of the school were British. However, two Africans held important staff positions in the school. Malam Nagwamatse taught Arabic and acted as Housemaster. He supervised students’ quarters and was responsible for students’ discipline. In the middle twenties, Malam Bello Kagara joined Nagwamatse as another Arabic and Quranic instructor.
Between 1931-1937 none of the College’s Principals had as much impact on the College as Mr. G.A. J. Bieneman had. Bieneman was the first principal of the school and was significant in planting the Eton tradition at Katsina Teachers College. The substantive Principals, Trevor S. Phillips (1931-1934), William E. Nicholson (1934-1935) and Eric Mort (1935-1946) were all among the senior officers who joined the department before World War 1.
Katsina Higher College: In 1929, the College was upgraded from a Teacher Training Institution to become Katsina Higher College. The adoption on April 1st, 1931 of the title Katsina Higher College marked an upheaval in British thinking about the College. Critics of the northern approach to education had sought to shift the College closer to Southern Nigerian standards. Following the retirement of Urling Smith, a new Director of Education, Eric R.J. Hussey was appointed.
Hussey’s appointment led to new proposals for the College and northern education. Hussey proposed a sweeping reorganization of government education in the Northern Provinces, designed to raise the northern system to the levels of the Southern Provinces. The Higher College would replace the Katsina Training College.
The Higher College would offer two years of general education to be followed by specialized training for various government posts. The priorities were to be teachers, medical assistants, and clerks. The “Middle Schools which were successors to the primary schools would provide six years of general education freeing the northern higher college to raise its standards to those of its southern counterparts, planned for Yaba near Lagos.
The Proposed Move of Barewa College to Zaria
As part of Hussey’s plans, a new site for the College was also in the thinking. He preferred building a new school at Zaria to expanding the Training College. Katsina, he thought, was too remote. The new Higher College ought to be in the limelight, since Zaria had already the Medical, Agricultural, Public Works Railway, departments that had facilities at Zaria, there will be ease of interdepartmental cooperation. Hussey’s plans for the Zaria Higher College would require expenditure of up to £53,000 over three years beginning 1931-32. However, because of the Depression, Nigeria revenue plunged below £5,000,000. Despite Hussey’s vigorous efforts, the government had to temporarily halt the construction of the new Higher College.
Kaduna College: In October 1935, the proponents of an administrative approach obtained Colonial Office approval for a new college in the Northern Provinces. In early 1934, Hussey had convinced the Lieutenant Governor that any plan for secondary or post-secondary education in the Northern Provinces was impossible without a new college. Although the northern government solicited pledges totalling £23,000 from the Native Administration to finance the project, the Depression stayed Governor Cameron’s approval. Hussey, nevertheless, secured his approval of an estimated initial cost of £19,000, £13,000 from the Native Administrations and £6,000 from the Alfred Jones bequest. The Education Department proposed that the new college offer the same curriculum as the one offered in Katsina. However, Hussey’s assertion that increasing numbers of College graduates attend Yaba provoked firm rejections from the Emirs, Residents and Education Department. Cameron responded by saying that the new college might equal Yaba in the distant future with the hope that patience and tact might overcome the prejudice against the southern school. The Kano Resident suggested that Kaduna was a neutral site which could replace Hussey’s initial choice of Zaria. Kaduna, it was felt, would reduce jealousy. Kaduna was further from the Samaru agricultural training centre, but just as convenient for the Medical and public works departments. Hussey had no objection. Besides, to gain Cameron’s approval, it was emphasized that Kaduna would be less expensive, since it already had electricity, piped water supply and adequate housing for the British staff.
The Adoption of the Name Barewa
Having adopted the name Kaduna College, the school moved to the northern capital in 1938. In 1942, the College altered its entrance standards admitting younger students with less prior education. The quality of the teaching staff reflected the Education Department’s continuous search for quality and therefore its propensity to copy British educational practices even if without intending to do so. Thus, the Education Department provided a staff well-qualified by British standards. In September 1940, the British army requisitioned the College’s buildings. The College moved to railway bungalows at the southern end of Kaduna in the area then known as Kaduna Junction.
The new site was more isolated from town than the original location. Mort who was principal then, still unconvinced that the Kaduna Junction site would serve as the permanent location for the school, arranged yet another move for the school. Mort argued that students destined to serve an agricultural country would lose touch with reality in an artificial urban setting. He thought the Kaduna North building were too pretentious for a secondary school and instead of returning to the Kaduna North building after the war, Mort secured agreement to move the College to Zaria.
Government Secondary School/ Government College/ Barewa College Zaria:
In 1949, the College left the Kaduna Junction site for Zaria. Mort’s impact on the College was profound. He maintained and preserved the Colleges “northerness” in both custom and dress even if no longer exclusively Muslim in character. When the College moved to Zaria, it was known as Government Secondary School Zaria and later it became Government College Zaria. For a long time, it was known as Government College Zaria until 1972 marking the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the College when the name was changed to Barewa College. The name Barewa is derived from the College emblem which is a leaping Gazelle. Barewa means Gazelle in Hausa.
The Uniqueness and Contribution of Barewa to National Development
Barewa College as an institution serving the whole of the vast North is unique in many respects. The first is that it brought together youths from as far apart as Sokoto in the extreme Northwest; the extreme Northeast of Adamawa and Borno; as well as Benue and Kabba in the Middle Belt to study together. Several of the senior Northern Leaders at the time of Nigeria’s independence had studied and played together in the same institution during their formative years. These were Sir Kashim Ibrahim (B73) from Borno (former Governor of Northern Nigeria) Sir Ahmadu Bello (B87) from Sokoto (former Premier of the Northern Region.) Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (B145) from Bauchi (first Prime Minister of Nigeria); Alhaji Aliyu Makaman Bida (B8) from Niger (former Minister of Finance) Alhaji Isa Kaita (B111) from Katsina (former Minister of Education) and Alhaji Yahaya Madawaki(B54) from Ilorin. (former Minister of Works). Another unique aspect of Barewa College is that former students of Barewa College by virtue of their common school background tended to regard one another as brothers and friends no matter how distant their homes are apart.
By far, the most unique aspect of the College has been the significant positive impact played by graduands in the social, cultural, economic, educational and political life of the country. Old Boys of Barewa College have rendered and continue to render meritorious service to the nation. Indeed, the first crop of Northern leaders in politics, administration, education, the security services were invariably drawn from Barewa. Prominent products of Barewa College played a major role in the various London Constitutional Conferences that culminated in Nigeria’s independence in 1960.
Barewa College prides itself in, the number of men who are achievers in their respective fields, men who gave invaluable and selfless service to the nation, especially at its most desperate moments of need. Barewa College produced the first Premier of Northern Nigeria, (B87) Sir Ahmadu Bello, the first Prime Minister of Nigeria (145) Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. The only two indigenous Governors of Northern Nigeria (B73) Sir Kashim Ibrahim and (B669) General Hassan Usman Katsina. The College also produced five Heads of State and Presidents of Nigeria. (B783) General Yakubu Gowon, (B941) General Murtala Mohammed, (B394) Alhaji Shehu Shagari (B?) and Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua (B?). It also produced a Sultan of Sokoto (B2612) Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad II and many Emirs and Chiefs.
Besides producing these eminent sons of Nigeria, the College has also produced several state Governors, Secretaries of Government and Heads of Service, Chief Justices of the Federation, Presidents of the Federal Court of Appeal, Ministers, Vice Chancellors of Universities, Permanent Secretaries of Federal Ministries and heads of several agencies and organizations.
It is therefore, little wonder that Barewa College has been referred to as the “Cradle of Nigerian Leadership”. It is a title that is well deserved.
Who We Are
Mission Statement
Our mission at Barewa College is to become a first-class institution that is committed to the nurturing of young minds for higher education and general intellectual buildup, thereby shouldering the responsibility of nation-building.
Our Core Values
We have a culture of discipline, teamwork, excellence and reputation for students to have a brighter future. We are determined in our approach to learning, are creative in our thinking, and bold in our ambitions.
Our Philosophy
Barewa College Zaria shall be a center of Excellence; second to none in Academics, Discipline and strict compliance to norms and values.