Edmund Beale Sargant (19 March 1855 – 1 October 1938) was a colonial administrator in the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

, particularly notable for his policy of introducing

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

in the

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

n educational system in the first years of the twentieth century, as Director of Education for the

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name ''Transvaal''. * South African Republic (1856–1902; ...

and

Orange River Colony The Orange River Colony was the British colony created after Britain first occupied (1900) and then annexed (1902) the independent Orange Free State in the Second Boer War. The colony ceased to exist in 1910, when it was absorbed into the Unio ...

under

Alfred Milner Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner, (23 March 1854 – 13 May 1925) was a British politician, statesman and colonial administrator who played a very important role in the formulation of British foreign and domestic policy between the mid-189 ...

, and in the aftermath of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

. ''The Sargant Repor''t (1905) was important for the future of education in the Transvaal. Sargant was educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

. He was made director of education in South Africa in 1897. Sargant founded and funded a shortlived school in Hackney, London, called 'School Field'. Its purpose was to demonstrate that children could be given a better education if their teachers were not bound by a narrow curriculum and were not required to focus on success in attainment tests in order to ensure school funding. He was also a

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

, appearing in particular in the first of the ''

Georgian Poetry ''Georgian Poetry'' is a series of anthologies showcasing the work of a school of English poetry that established itself during the early years of the reign of King George V of the United Kingdom. The Georgian poets were, by the strictest defi ...

'' anthologies.

Works

*''A Guide Book to Books'' (1891), compendium of book titles, with Bernhard Whishaw *''Report on Native Education in South Africa'' (1908) Parliamentary Paper *''The Casket Songs'' (1912) poems *''The Country’s Call'' (1914) with Marie Sargant *''More Songs by the Wayside'' (1934) poems

References

External links

* 1855 births 1938 deaths British poets History of education in South Africa British male poets British colonial governors and administrators in Africa People educated at Rugby School {{poetry-stub