This is a typical school bell, and is in the collection of the Barbados Museum & Historical Society as one of the visual indicators of the history of education on the island. The foundations of education in Barbados were laid by the philanthropic efforts of private individuals and by the humanitarian interest of the Churches. Most of the existing older public secondary schools were founded by endowments originally intended for the education of white children, during colonization and the period of enslavement. The elementary schools grew out of the modest attempts by the Anglican, Moravian and Methodist Churches to give a Christian education to the enslaved in the period preceding emancipation. These efforts were intensified in the postemancipation period, that is, after 1834, and the setting up of small schools near the church became a common feature of the work of the church in those days. Although the legislature gradually took into its own hands the financing and administration of education, there has remained a close association with the Anglican, Moravian and Methodist Churches as far as education is concerned. The present system developed largely from the 1890 Education Act, which established rigid distinctions between and even within levels of education. In 1932, the Marriot-Mayhew Commission carried out a comprehensive investigation of the Barbados’ educational service. It recommended additional educational programs to cater to specific groups, especially teachers, and to the wider community. As a result, a new Teachers' Training College was opened, new secondary schools were established, and a loan fund was created to assist individuals in obtaining higher education abroad. Technical and vocational training was also introduced. A new Education Act emerged in 1981 that sought to provide greater equality of opportunity. Once universal access to basic education was achieved, the country turned its attention toward reform of the education system to stay current with economic and technological change. The Planning Section of the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Culture compiled a White Paper on Education Reform for Barbados in 1995. Sources: 1. “Historical Developments of Education in Barbados 1686”, Ministry of Education, Barbados. 2. “Barbados: Educational System Overview”, https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/130/Barbados-EDUCATIONAL-SYSTEM-OVERVIEW.html