491
12. In paragraph 13 of my report for the year 1897 I said that the standard required in class III was somewhat higher than the one to which these schools had been accustomed. From the subjoined Tables an exact comparison may be drawn between the year 1895 and the year 1899:-
Table shewing the Grants earned by the three Classes of Grant-in-Aid Schools in the Years 1895 and 1899, and the Average Grant per Scholar examined.
Examination Examination
Average Grant per
Number of Scholars
Number of Scholars
Grant
CLASS.
earned in
1895.
Grant earned in 1899.
examined
examined
Average Graut per Scholar
Scholur
in
in
examined in
examined in
1895.
1899.
1895.
1899.
I.,
II.,
III.,
$12,466.66 $10,966.43
2,490
2,081
$ 5.00
$5,27
----....
1,047.32
10,735.66 11,584.55
1,093,39
126
127
8.31
8.60
938
1,179
11.44
9.82
Total,...
$24,249.64 $23,644.37
3,554
3,387
$ 6.82
$6.98
III.,-Ordinary Subjects,...
$9,651.66 $11,003.35
$1,084.00 $581.00
938
1,179
$10.29
$9.33
545
231
$1.98
$2.51
III., Special Subjects,...
Table shewing the Number of Boys examined and the Percentage of Passes in each standard in Schools in Class III in the Years 1895 and 1899.
:
ORDINARY SUBJECTS.
SPECIAL SUBJECTS.
Standard.
I.
II.
III. IV. V. VI.
VII. Total.|IV. V. VI. VII. Total.
Number examined,..
316
1895.
Percentage of Passes,...
94
98
181 134 104
93 77 92
888
86
85 41
100 87
947125 162 169 85 541
93 90
3 | 9
84 78
008
81
Standard.
1. │II. III. IV. V. VI.
VII. Total. IV. V. VI. VII. Total.
Number examined,..
413
250 224 126
33
82
42
311,166
85 116
2
76!
87
364
1899.
Percentage of Passes,...
95
96
95
87
75
80
81
71
93 72 59 65 70
23
66
In each standard the percentage of passes is less than it was in 1895 and the difference is particularly noticeable in the seventh standard in ordinary subjects and throughout all the standards in special subjects. Despite the larger number of scholars examined, the number taking up special subjects is less than half what it was in 1895. This is a natural consequence of the increased difficulty in obtain- ing a pass, and is not altogether to be regretted. But it is very unsatisfactory to find that whilst in 1895 there were 212 scholars examined in the three highest standards, in 1899 there were only 155. This falling-off is the more noticeable as the total number of scholars examined has risen from 947 to 1,166.
13. BELILIOS. PUBLIC SCHOOL.-Since Mrs. BATEMAN's departure from the Colony on leave, Mrs. TUTCHER has acted as Headmistress. A decrease in the number of scholars on the rolls in the English School is compensated for by an increase in the average attendance. In the Chinese School there is little difference to note between the last two years. The plague affected the attendance in both divisions in the summer, but in the English School the effect was not so noticeable and the recovery more complete than in the Chinese School. The annual examination was held in July. There were 99 scholars present in the English School, as against 93 in 1898. Of these, 50 were in the Upper School and 49 in the Infant School. The corresponding figures for 1898 were 55 and 38. The number examined in the Chinese School was 87 compared with 113 in the previous year. Out of 156 scholars on the register of the English School at the end of the year 50 were Chinese. Of these, There 20 studied their own language in the Chinese School for an hour-and-a-half in the afternoons. is no change to report in the curriculum of either school, but steps have been taken to introduce more modern text-books into the English School and to systematize the education given in the Chinese.