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NOTES
ON NELLIE ROBINSON Nellie Robinson, the founder of the T.O.R.
Memorial School, affectionately known as Miss Rob, was a
remarkable woman. At the age of 18 years, she was the first person to
bring secondary education within the reach of non-white children. Born
on December 7th, 1880. Miss Rob took up what she considered to be the challenge to lift
the social status of the local children through higher education. She
began her school in her parent's home
on Newgate
Street in
1898 with just
FOUR children. THE
THOMAS OLIVER
ROBINSON MEMORIAL
SCHOOL HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR OVER ONE HUNDRED YEARS MISS ROB BEGAN HER EDUCATION IN THE KINDERGARTEN
AT COKE COLLEGE HERE-IN
ANTIGUA WHERE THERE WERE ENGLISH TEACHERS, FROM WHICH SHE PROGRESSED TO
THE COLLEGE, AT WHICH SHE CONTINUED HER EDUCATION UNTIL IT CLOSED IN 1898. AFTER THE COLLEGE CLOSED, MISS ROB COMPLETED HER STUDIES AND
SUCCESSFULLY PASSED THE SENIOR CAMBRIDGE
EXAM. By any standard, Miss Nellie Robinson was a remarkable woman, born 36 years after the abolition of slavery, She founded the T.O.R. memorial school when she was just 18 years old;
she
was AN
EXTRA-ORDINARY INDIVIDUAL WHO DECIDED TO ACCEPT THE ENORMOUS EDUCATIONAL
AND SOCIAL CHALLENGES OF HER DAY. IT. TOOK A GREAT DEAL OF COURAGE FOR
ANYONE TO CHALLENGE THE INJUSTICES AND INEQUALITIES WHICH EXISTED IN 1898 - JUST
64 YEARS AFTER EMANCIPATION. FOR A WOMAN OR MORE CORRECTLY AN 1 8 YEAR OLD
GIRL TO
DO WHAT SHE DID, IT TOOK A GREAT DEAL OF GUTS. since the T.O.R. memorial
school gave access to secondary education to the socially disadvantaged
its very existence could be regarded as a bold challenge to the social
order of the day. IT WAS ON THE ADVICE OF HER BROTHER THOMAS OLIVER ROBINSON, THAT SHE STARTED THE SCHOOL IN 1898 WITH 4 PUPILS. AT FIRST, MOST OF THE STUDENTS AT T.O.R. WERE MULATTOES. THIS WAS NOT A DELIBERATE PLAN TO EXCLUDE BLACKS. IT WAS A SIMPLE ECONOMIC FACT OF LIFE THAT MOST BLACKS JUST COULD NOT AFFORD A FEE-PAYING SCHOOL. AS THE SCHOOL DEVELOPED, SCHOLARSHIPS WERE MADE AVAILABLE TO POOR BLACK CHILDREN AND AS THE REPUTATION OF THE SCHOOL GREW, CHILDREN FROM ACROSS THE SOCIAL SPECTRUM WERE ATTRACTED TO THE SCHOOL AS PAYING STUDENTS ALONG WITH THE RECIPIENTS OF SCHOLARSHIPS. MISS ROB WAS A VERY .STRONG DISCIPLINARIAN. SHE NEVER TOLERATED NONSENSE AND PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY RESPECTED HER. I HAD THE HONOUR OF BEING HER GOD-DAUGHTER AS WELL AS HER PUPIL, SHE INSTILLED VALUES IN HER STUDENTS INCLUDING HONESTY... THE RESPECT OF ONESELF AND OTHERS AS WELL AS TRUSTWORTHINESS,
SHE NOT ONLY CATERED FOR ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT
BUT ALSO FOR THE SOCIAL AND
CULTURAL ASPECTS. SHE WAS
HEADMISTRESS FROM 1898 UNTIL 1950.WHEN SHE
TURNED THE REINS OVER TO MISS INA LOVING. MISS NELLIE ROBINSON DIED IN 1972.
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