HONGKONG.
119
No. 4
89.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE HEAD MASTER OF THE GOVERNMENT CENTRAL SCHOOL FOR 1888.
Presented to the Legislative Council, by Command of His Excellency the Governor,
No. 7.
GOVERNMENT CENTRAL SCHOOL,
HONGKONG, 25th January, 1889.
SIR,I have the honour to forward the Annual Report on this School for 1888.
1. The total number of boys on the Roll for the past year was 634. Owing to the School's being closed ten days before the usual Winter Vacation on account of the prevalence of Small-pox in the Colony, the School was only open for 229 days.
2. To illustrate the condition of the Schools during the last five years the following table is annexed:-
1884,
1885,
1886,
1887,
1888,
YEAR.
Total Number of Scholars.
Number of School Days.
Monthly Enrolment.
Average
Daily Attendance.
Maximum.
Minimum.
558
236
462
362
411
596
238
499
382
437
610
238
507
419
446
601
234
525
417
449
634
229
536
384
467
Number
Average
of
Percentage
School
Actual Nett
YEAR.
of
School Boys Examined.
Fees.
Passes.
Expenditure.
Expense of each Scholar per
Average Daily Attendance.
1884,
1885,
1886,
1887, ......................................................
1888,
379
95.58
4,981
13,378.62
32.48
412
95.38
5,273
12,885.00
29.45
405
94.81
5,422
11,680 41
26.17
384
97.65
5,547
11,872.70
26.40
445
94.15
6,899
12,384.14
26.48
ANNUAL EXAMINATION.
3. The results of the English examination, as adjudged by me for prize purposes, are highly creditable, and in some cases, as in Classes IA, IIA, IIIA, V and VII deserve special commendation. The lower total percentage of passes, 94 as opposed to 97 last year, is perhaps chiefly attributable to the following causes; one English master has been wanting on the staff for six months, and one Chinese assistant has been further absent on sick leave for two months before the examination; the forced promotion of boys into classes for which they were not yet fitted, and the admission of others into classes for which they were not qualified, are two considerable factors in the same result, due to lack of accommodation consequent on the delay in the completion of Victoria College. Classes IB, IIIB, and VI proved the chief sufferers from these circumstances.
4. In 1883, when as Acting Inspector of Schools, I was associated with the present Colonial Secretary to draw up the Schedule for the Government Scholarships, in inserting the subjects, Latin, Shakespeare, Chemistry, &c. I was actuated by the hope that we should in a year or two of that time be in Victoria College, when I purposed introducing these as class subjects. As time passed however and the opening of that building seemed likely to be indefinitely deferred I could wait no longer; Latin was accordingly introduced in 1887 and Shakespeare and Trigonometry in 1888. In the past year, Latin (including Cæsar Book I in Class I) was taught with very gratifying results to 136 boys as against 69 boys last year. The papers on King John in Class IA were good, in the main, some six or eight would have passed in the Local Examinations. English History and Latin were added to the work of Class IIIA; and English History, Composition, Euclid and Algebra to that of Class IIIB.