506
7. Table V shews the fluctuations in the average attendance during recent years, There has been for several years a steady increase in the numbers of pupils attending the Government and Grant English schools. The Private English schools also seem to be increasingly well attended. It is to be noted that the figures for the Private schools are based upon the maximum monthly enrolment, as the average attendances are not obtainable. The figures are at best an approximation; but as they have been arrived at in the same way for several years, the error is probably constant. The majority of the Private English schools give a very elementary education in English. The figures do not include the night schools, of which there are 26, with an enrolment of 494 pupils. The number of pupils at the Government and Grant Vernacular schools is 2,146, to a unit the same as last year. On. the other hand the numbers in the Private Vernacular schools continue to increase rapidly. According to a return made by the Attendance Officer, in 1905 out of 118 of these schools only 15 employed modern methods of imparting instruction. This year, he reckons that the proportion is 45 out of 128. The least that can be said of these figures is that they are evidence of a general tendency towards the improvement of Vernacular education.
8. Table VI shews the proportion of girls to boys to be as about 2,000 to 3,500, or as 4 This ratio is not even as satisfactory as it appears at first sight, because, as Table VI B shews, the greater part of the girls are in the Lower Grade Vernacular schools.
to 7.
GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS.
9. Table I gives details of the nature of the Government schools, and of the attend- ance thereat, as compared with the same statistics for 1905. Details of the work done in each school are given in Appendix A.
10. The total number of Upper Grade pupils is 777, a satisfactory increase upon the preceding year of over 11%. The number of pupils studying in Lower Grade schools shews an increase of over 50%.
A
11. The cost of each pupil to Government is an important point in connection with the value of the schools. It ranges from $99.09 at the Victoria School to $8.10 at the Belilios School, Vernacular Side. The average cost to Government of the 3 District schools of Saiyingpun, Yaumati and Wantsai is $26.42, as compared with $24.48 at Queen's College, The cost of Uenlong School, $77.55, is very high when the elementary nature of the work is considered.
New Schools, and Schools Closed,
12. Lower Grade Anglo-Chinese schools were opened at Pingshan in August and at- Taipo in May.
13. It has been decided to close the little Vernacular school at Sheko from the end of the year.
It was the last of the Government schools that gave an education to boys in the Chinese language.
Kowloon British School.
14. The maximum monthly enrolment and the total of fees collected again surpassed all previous "records", being 78 and $2,101.50 as against 68 and $1,979 for last year. But the average attendance shows for the first time in the history of the school a slight falling off, from 57 to 55. Mr. JAMES accounts for this by "the unusual heat of last summer, and the consequent withdrawal during the hot months of many of the smaller children". soon as this state of affairs was realised, punkahs for pupils were forthwith provided.
15. A playground is badly needed.
Victoria British School.
16. The average attendance was 44, which compared with the figure for the previous year shews an increase of 8.