0003160 GIF. 316
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INSPECTIONS OF COMMUNIST-CONTROLLED SCHOOLS
Introduction
Prior to the confrontation of 1967 communist-controlled schools were visited regularly by the supervisory inspectorate and about once a
The latter visits were year by a team of four advisory inspectors. called 'partial inspections' and the schools were given a week's prior notice. The reception afforded the inspectors did not differ greatly from that in other schools and the schools took care to see that the
With the inspectors did not see traces of political propaganda. outbreak of the disturbances in May 1967 however all inspections were immediately suspended.
1st Round-Special Team
2.
When schools reopened after the summer holidays in 1967 a special team of inspectors was formed to carry out inspections of selected hard- core communist-controlled schools. The schools selected were those to which the letter containing the 13 conditions had been sent. The schools were all notified in advance of the visits. As the inspections proceeded there was an escalation of the display of communist propaganda and of the harassment of the inspectors who at several schools found themselves confronted by hostile chanting protesting groups of teachers, pupils and 'parents'.
3.
This was the most violent phase of confrontation and after the completion of this programme of inspections no more were carried out until the campaign of violence came to an end and the political temperature had dropped. This situation was arrived at in January 1968 when it was considered that visits by the supervisory inspectorate might be resumed with the immediate object of attempting to maintain some form of contact with the communist-controlled schools.
2nd Round Area Inspectors
4.
Eighteen communist-controlled schools were inspected between 9th and 19th January. These were routine inspections and were carried out by the normal area supervisory inspectorate. One day's advance notice was given to the first six schools visited but after the inspectors had met with a hostile organised reception at Shaukiwan Workers' Night School on 11th January it was decided to cease giving this advance notice.
5. At most of the schools visited protests were made to the inspectors about police raids on schools and the arrest of pupils and staff. There were instances of the organised chanting of Mao quotations and the singing of revolutionary songs during class periods and recesses but the atmosphere was noticeably less tense than during the special inspections of the nine hard-core schools during the previous term.
6.
After the Chinese New Year holiday a further series of inspections was carried out. Between 13th and 16th February eight more communist- controlled schools were inspected and four schools, of which the previous inspection had been unsatisfactory, were reinspected. There was a further improvement in the atmosphere during these inspections even at those schools which were reinspected because of hostility shown towards the inspectors during the previous inspection.
7.
Routine inspections of the remaining eight hard-core schools were carried out by the normal area inspectors between 22nd February and 5th March. Yuk Kwan School, which had been inspected in January 1968 was also reinspected in this series because of police reports that classes
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