centre for primary teachers and this is now under considera- tion.
The Rural Training College, opened in 1946, is now beginning to make an impression on village schools in the New Territories. All those who gained certificates are teaching in village schools where they have created such a favourable impression that many of the students who will graduate this year have already been earmarked by certain village Elders for their schools. The College has an enrolment of 48 students half of whom, in the present first year, are teachers who have been employed in village schools for some years but who have had no training. The College aims at supplying replace- ments by means of its younger graduates and also, in the course of about 10 years, of training all the teachers in the rural areas. The College established its own co-operative society in 1946, at $10 per share with a limit of four shares, confined to staff and students. They purchased twelve hens, two goats, two pigs and some seeds. The Co-operative has paid 100% per annum and the stock is now 240 hens, 24 pigs, one boar, six goats and 200 pigeons together with a large market garden. Two of the certificated students are starting similar co-operatives in their village schools.
The expenditure on education during 1949, including capital expenditure on buildings, was over $20,000,000, a considerable increase on the previous year and almost 12% of the total expenditure of the Colony. $8,000,000 were allotted to Grant-aided schools and Subsidised schools.
The fees in Government and Grant-aided schools have changed very little since 1928 and are $5 per month in primary classes and $10 per month in secondary classes. Subsidised school fees are from 200 to 300% greater than in 1940 and private school fees as much as seven times greater in some cases. The compulsory gazetting of an inclusive monthly fee, the maximum amount for which a parent is liable, has done much to keep the fees at a reasonable level. The total revenue from fees in government schools was $450,000.
In the absence of any reliable figures, it is difficult to estimate the number of children of school age in the Colony or to guess at the number who are not receiving schooling. Of the latter, many have been in school but, owing to the family's financial distress, have been with- drawn in order to work. The large number of applicants for vacancies in certain schools is no indication of the number of children not in school since the majority are already in school elsewhere and merely seek either better or cheaper education. Several cases have been known of a boy attending one morning school and different afternoon school in another name.
a totally It is probable
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