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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 18т MARCH, 1871.
25. The Schools in receipt of Grants-in-aid are now 11 in number. Five were added during the year. These are the schools at Shek Shán, Hok Un, Yan-ma Ti, Ma-t'an Ch'nng, and the Bak ka School at T'o-kwa Wán. The whole may be arranged in the following order:---
1. Apli Chau.
2. Ma-t'au Ts'ün.
3. To-kwa Wán, (Hak-ka.) · 4. Little Hongkong.
5. Ma-tau Chung. 6. Mong Kok.
7. Yau-ma Ti. 8. Hok Ün.
9. Hung Hon. 10. To-kwa Wán. 11. Shek Shán.
26. Ap-li Chau which, in 1869 had simply a free site, received last year a grant-in-aid, the site being abandoned. This is by far the best of these schools and if classified with the whole of the Village Schools, without regard to grant or otherwise, would stand ninth in order. The highest number of scholars on the roll was 41 and the lowest 30. The regular attendance averaged 31.
27. These schools differ from the ordinary Village Schools simply in this, that the villagers provide the school-house and select the master, who gets, or is supposed to get, one half of his salary, in kind, from the parents of his scholars and the other half, amounting to sixty dollars a year, from Government.
28. It was thought, at the commencement, that this system of grants-in-aid would meet many difficulties and might probably be extended in time to all the Village Schools. It enables the villagers to choose their own school-master, a privilege which they consider peculiarly their own and which they very reluctantly resign. It was thought, also, that by having to provide one half the master's salary they would be more anxious to have their children taught by way of a return for the expense incurred, and that they would be a check on the master,--a safeguard, I am sorry to say, not so unnecessary as it might be.
29. These hopes are a long way from their realization. Application for a grant-in-aid in too many cases means simply a source of revenue to the village. Government is a fair object for plunder. The want of a school is first discerned by a needy and place-less school-master. The next step is a circuit of the village, full of promises of many good things to come. The next is a petition, composed by himself, but purporting to be from the villagers, setting forth the poverty of the village as extreme, the ignorance of the children as appalling and the merits of the aspiring school-master as unparalleled. The last step is a deputation for the presentation of the petition. All this is, outwardly, as it should be; brt, behind so much fair seeming, there has been no lack of chicanery, -a hard driven bargain on the part of the villagers for so much hard cash for the privilege of teaching their children, but proba- bly taking the form of so much rent for the school-house, albeit the petition distinctly states that the village provides the school-house frce.
30. When the master is appointed, everything goes well for several months, perhaps for the whole year, but, by that time, envy has done its work. Another candidate appears and larger pro- mises are made or exacted. The petition is now to the effect that the master is as bad as he was formerly good and that the new candidate is the only man who can repair the injury done to the school. When any reluctance is shown to comply with the request, it is pretty plainly intiinated that if the new man is not accepted there will be no children at school next year.
31. Something of this nature is now going on at Little Hongkong. The master there was the people's choice some years ago. It so happens that the Ti-po of the village has a son who aspires to the office of school-master. Towards the end of the year, the Ti-po headed a deputation from the village and presented a petition against the present school-master and in favour of the aspiring one. The catalogue of the former's demerits was long, but not longer than that of the latter's merits. attempt was made to convince the deputation that they were greatly to blame for not making the charges at the time the faults were alleged to have occurred, thus giving an opportunity of enquiring into them. They had no time to come and do so was all their answer.
An
32. The school-master was informed of what had been done and probably taxed the villagers with their deceit, for they soon returned with a complete change of argument. The present master had enjoyed the salary for many years and it was now time that another should have his turn of it. This was not to be listened to and the deputation was plainly told so. Shortly after, the Ti-po returned alone and wanted to know definitely whether the new master would be accepted or not. When told that he certainly would not, the old man retorted so impudently that there should then be no scholars that nothing but his gray hairs saved him from forcible extrusion. A scheme of a similar sort is understood to be maturing at Ma-t'au Ts'ün. As has been often said, the Government is the obliged party when the villagers condescend to let their children learn to read.
33. Attention is, as usual, called in Table VI to the number of uneducated children in the Colony. This is done simply because it is well to have such a fact fairly presented and fairly looked at. If blame is attachable to any one, it is to the parents, because they have only to show the slightest willingness to have their children taught to secure attention to their case. It will probably be sutli- ciently evident from what has already been said that if left to themselves the parents, in the majority of instances, have no great desire for the instruction of their children. If education were made obligatory one point would certainly be gained, but only one. The extreme poverty of many of the people in the villages and in boats would throw on the Government the onus of clothing and feeding, as well as educating, if any compulsory scheme were enacted.