I found the reference I had in mind. This information is specific to Sao Miguel island for 1863 or 1864. I don't know how much it can be generalized either to the other islands or to later in the century, but it does provide a little window on the state of education in one place at one point in time.
Source: Supico, Francisco Maria 1864 Almanach do Archipelago dos Acores: Estatistico, Historico, Recreativo e Noticioso. Typographia da Persuasao, Ponta Delgada, pages 52-56. Number of Primary Schools for Boys: 20 public schools attended by 1234 students 8 municipal schools attended by 428 students 14 private schools attended by 538 students total = 2,200 students Number of Primary Schools for Girls: 5 public schools attended by 334 students 4 municipal schools attended by 308 students 63 private schools attended by 1,460 students total = 2,102 students [I believe the difference between public and municipal schools was that the first were funded by the Portuguese government and the second, by the Camara Municipal.] Supico notes that included in the attendance numbers of the girls' private schools, there are 84 boy students, so the actual total number of boys attending primary school is raised to 2,284 and the total number of girls is reduced to 2,018. Relative to the total population of both sexes on the island, the proportions of school attendance were therefore established to be: males, 4.532 per 100 individuals [4.532% of the boys on the island of San Miguel attended primary school in 1863 or 1864] females, 3.600 per 100 individuals [3.6% of the girls on the island] Supico makes the explicit point that "Nenhum districto do continente e ilhas apresenta um resultado tao satisfactorio sobre a instruccao do sexo feminino." (page 52) "No district of the Continent or the Islands demonstrates such a satisfactory result dealing with the instruction of the feminine sex." In comparison, he notes that Lisbon came closest with 2.236% of the girls there attending school, and if all the districts of the continent were taken together, only 0.861% of the girls on the mainland attended school. Supico further notes that after the stats were collected, new co-ed public free schools were opened by the Municipa Camara of Ponta Delgada, but their attendence figures weren't available to be included in his totals. The implication being that education rates were somewhat higher than he could statistically demonstrate. Secondary education: There were about 200 students enrolled in private secondary education. There was also free secondary education for both male and female students available at 4 legally credentialed institutions. These "collegios" offered instruction in Portuguese, French, English, Latin, "latinidade" [Classics??], drawing, music and dance, and they had 130 regularly attending students. Moreover, there were also almost as many students who received instruction from uncredentialed teachers who, according to Supico, "weren't much inferior to those of the authorized institutions" ["mestres sem habilitacao legal, nao sera muito inferio as dos collegios authorisados"]. Additionally, Supico noted that some of the teachers give lessons in the students homes, and these students were not included in his stats. I hope all this info is of interest to some of you-- I know I find it fascinating :). I think discussing the culture and history of the islands can provide some valuable insights into our shared heritage and genealogies. I know in my case, I'm continually trying to understand my family in the context of their original culture and how as immigrants they adapted (and often didn't) to the culture of their adopted home in California. I read the anecdotes shared here with interest because of how they compare and contrast with the stories handed down in my own family. And they help me to remember that my broad assumptions about "life in the old country/old days" aren't always accurate. The education rates in the Azores in the 19th century were woefully low compared to what we have come to expect, but who would have guessed that in Sao Miguel in 1863 a girl had nearly as good a chance of getting a bit of schooling as a boy? Not me! Nor would I have ever thought that an Azorean island had a better record of sending girls to school than anywhere on the continent! Or that--apparently--girls' schooling was important enough to some [wealthier?] families to support about three times as many girls' private schools as there were boys' public schools and this was how most of the girls were educated... just fascinating... Anyway, as they say, "thank a school teacher if you can read this"--and thanks to Cheri for the work you do to keep the Azores Group ticking over. :D Linda On Sunday, December 11, 2016 at 2:09:46 PM UTC-8, Samantha B wrote: > > Culturally how common was it for women to be literate/educated at the turn > of last century. I'm intrigued as it was the bride who signed the marriage > record and not the groom. > > TIA > Samantha > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Azores Genealogy" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/azores.
