370
6. ÅTTENDANCE IN SCHOOLS UNDER THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.-In my report for 1894 I referred to the havoc wrought in that year by the outbreak of the plague and I shewed how greatly the attendance was reduced in those Schools which maintained their existence throughout that terrible ordeal. Throughout the greater part of the year 1895 the attendance continued to inake rapid strides towards recovering its previous position, indicating a return of the families which had fled from the Colony in 1894, but in the fall of the year 1895 a wide-spread epidemic of fever impaired the attendance once more very considerably for several months. The minimum daily attendance equailed in 1893 fully 64.92 per cent. of the maximum daily attendance. In 1894 it fell, owing to the plague, to 38.80 per cent. and in 1895 it rose again to 60.77 per cent. So also the average daily attendance, which in 1893 equalled 78.19 per cent. of the enrolment and which fell in 1894 to 61.41 per cent.. rose again in 1895 to 76.95 per cent. These figures clearly show that the exodus of families, caused by the plague in 1894, was in the year 1895 nearly, but not fully, made good by a return of the ̈ fugitives.
7. LOCAL DISTRIBUTION OF SCHOOLS IN GENERAL.-Taking the distinction of secular and religious teaching in the modified sense which it has locally obtained, it may be noted that there were, in the year 1895, altogether 6.180 scholars receiving in 111 Schools a Christian religious education and 4,696 scholars in 125 Schools under quasi-secular instruction. The subjoined table, indicating the number of secular and religious Schools provided for each district, shows that, with the only exception of the sparsely inhabited extreme west end of the City (Kennedy Town and Shek-tong-tsui), which at present is furnished with religious Schools only, all the other districts in town and villages are equitably supplied with both kinds of Schools Kowloon Peninsula has now ample and satisfactory school accommodation. The only part of the Colony which is still left unsupplied is the Peak settlement, as the attempt made in the preceding year (1894) to open a private School there has failed. If the Government would provide a piece of ground or, better still, ground and a building, there would be little difficulty in establishing a Peak School on the model of the British Kowloon College.
Table shewing the local distribution of Secular and Religious Schools in the year 1895.
Districts
exclusive of the Peak Settlement.
Govern-
Kaifong.
Grant- in-
ment.
Aid.
Private. Private.
Total.
Total.
Grand Total.
Secular Schools.
Scholars.
Secular Schools.
Scholars.
Rel. Schools.
Scholars.
Secular Schools.
Scholars.
Rel. Schools.
Scholars.
Secular Schools.
Scholars.
Rel. Schools.
Scholars.
Schools.
Scholars.
of all
Descriptions.
Schools
I. & II. Kennedy Town and Shek-
tongtsui,
III. Saiyingpun,
IV. & V. Taipingshan & Sheung-
wall,
VI. Chungwan,........
2
7 224
167 13 250 14 797
прочит
52
276 8 270
:
15
417
14 797 29 1,214
28 539 10 543 1
41,744 27 555|||35|2,440|
24
29
563
10 513 39 1,106
2 246 31| 2,299
37 2,686
68
4,985
VII. & VIII. Hawan & Wantsai,.
IX. & X. Bowrington & Sookon-
pou,
2 220 12 280 11| 548
2 198 14 500 15 746 27 1,246
I
22223
621
2 40 3 125,
222 11 218] 10 374
:
:
:
:
3
102
10
3
125 6 227
:
18 440 10 374 28 814
15 375 16 633 81 1,008
XI. Villages of Hongkong........
XII. Villages of British Kowloon,. 1 57 14 318 16 | 633
Totals,..
:
17 | 2,472 107 2,200 106 5,684 1 24 5 496 125 4,6961116,180 |236| 10,876
S. EDUCATIONAL EXPENDITURE OF THE GOVERNMENT.-The sum total of disbursements made by the Government for educational purposes during the year 1895 ($73.775.24 as compared with $79,268.14) amounted, after deducting school-fees and educational refunds paid into the Treasury ($13,635,00 as compared with $11,896.19 in 1894) to $60,140.24, as compared with $67,371.95 in 1894. This decrease in nett expenditure is entirely due to the effects which the outbreak of plague (in 1894) had in reducing the earnings (paid in 1895) of the Grant-in-Aid Schools. The details of educational expenditure incurred in the year 1895 are as follows:-Office of Education Department