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In its final form the draft Code was circulated among Managers and met with general approval. It came into force on the 1st January, 1904; but Managers who cared to do so were permitted to bring their schools under it from the 1st July, 1903, and about one half of them, including the Managers of St. Joseph's, the Italian Convent, the Diocesan School for Girls, and most of the London Missionary Society's schools and the American Baptist Mission's schools, elected to do so.
The following are some of the points of difference which distinguish the existing Code from the old Code:-
(a.) The Grants are paid upon the results of the Inspector's observation throughout the year, and not upon the success or otherwise of individual scholars at an Annual Examination.
(b.) The Code recognizes that schools employing a well educated Staff are worthy of special recognition, by giving a higher rate of Grant, paid in sterling, to such schools. The Staff must, in order to meet the requirements of the Code in this respect, be partly composed of Europeans, or natives of very unusual qualifications.
(c.) The old Code gave Grants to schools giving a Chinese education on the time-honoured Chinese lines, as well as to schools in which Portuguese or German was the medium of instruction. The present Code recognizes only modern Western methods of im- parting instruction, and insists that either English or Chinese must be the medium of instruction: other languages may of course be studied as Class subjects.
GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS.
KOWLOON SCHOOL.
The Kowloon School for European British subjects has now been open for nearly two years. The attendance during 1903 averaged 46.4 as compared with 39.3 in 1902, an increase of 18 per cent. The greatest number of scholars present on one day was 58. Mr. JAMES in his report complains with reason of the irregularity of attendance. This irregularity seems inherent in the schools of the Colony, and is much to be regretted. The revenue collected under Fees amounted to $1,854,50 as against $924 in 1902 (8 mouths).
During the first six months of the year I visited the School every fortnight, and less frequently during the latter half of the year. As regards discipline and organization, I have nothing to say but praise. I think it would be hard to find anywhere a brighter or better ordered school. As regards the curriculum, I am not yet prepared to give a final opinion. It will be another year or two before the results of the very solid and practical course of study are fully seen. I should add that I have made no suggestions as to the curriculum which Mr. JAMES has not adopted. I shall report more fully on the school work at the end of the school- year in July.
The following extracts are from the Headmaster's Report:-
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Admissions.
During the year 22 new pupils were admitted, while the same number of old pupils left. This meaus that in the course of 12 months 41 per cent. of the personnel of the school was changed-a strong proof of the shifting nature of the population from which the school draws its pupils.
Attendances.
The maximum monthly average attendance was 54, and the minimum 37.7 English children in the tropics are naturally more often absent through illness than would be the case at home; for this I have always made due and sympathetic allowance. But when, in addition to this, pupils absent themselves for pic-nics and parties to an extent that would not be tolerated at any Public School in England, it seems hopeless to expect that they should by anything like so far advanced as children of equal ages in England.
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