15
No. 1904
HONGKONG.
REPORT OF THE INSPECTOR OF SCHOOLS, FOR THE YEAR 1903.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government.
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, HONGKONG, 29th February, 1904.
SIR, I have the honour to report to the Government upon the Education Department for the year 1903.
STAFF.
Mr. W. H. WILLIAMS took up his appointment as Head Master of the Saiying- pun District School in January.
Mr. C. CURWEN was appointed Headmaster of the Yaumati District School in March.
Miss COLOUTT resigned her appointment of Second Mistress at the Kowloon School in May. After several changes Mrs. HATWELL was appointed in July,
THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION.
Many steps have been taken during the year under review to give effect to the general recommendations of the Committee on Education.
A Sub-Committee of the Governing Body of Queen's College was appointed to draw up a course of study for the Chinese Classes in the College. The same course has been adopted in the Anglo-Chinese District Schools; and in most of the Anglo- Chinese and Vernacular Grant Schools a similar course is now being followed. Further reference to this course is made under "Graut Schools" below.
A Committee was appointed to consider the possibility of holding regular examinations for the senior Classes in History and Geography under the auspices of the Oxford Local Delegacy. The report of this Committee is now in the hands of the Government.
The Committee on Education drew attention to the difficulties attendant on the co-education of young English-speaking children with Chinese boys who are be- ginning the study of English. The Chinese boys are usually older by several years, and often older for their ages, than the English-speaking children; a course of instruction calculated to develop infant minds is quite unsuitable for them; they need to spend most of their school time in the acquisition of English, especially Colloquial, and also to spend some time on improving their knowledge of Written Chinese. The difficulties in the way of teaching the two classes of children together are obviously great. The subject was fully discussed during the year, and finally the following dictum of the late Governor Sir HENRY BLAKE received the approval of the Secretary of State for the Colonies:--
"In
my opinion the difficulty may be surmounted by arranging that Chinese boys shall not be taught English in the same Class as non-Chinese boys, until it is found that they have acquired a sufficient know- ledge of English to understand the teaching given to the Class in that language. This will prevent the English boys being retarded, without violating the principle that education shall be given equal- ly and indiscriminately to all races."
THE GRANT CODE.
One of the most important changes recommended by the Committee on Educa- tion was the substitution of a new Code for the then existing Grant-in-Aid Code. Accordingly the present Grant Code was drafted at the beginning of the year. I met the Managers of the schools several times, and discussed its provisions fully with them. I am indebted to their criticisms for several beneficial amendments.