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17. The unhealthy nature of the surroundings of the school caused some anxiety. The expenditure of a large sum of money has been sanctioned, with the object of draining the swampy land near the school, and of clearing the grounds of brushwood. It may therefore be hoped that before long the school will be as healthy as it is pleasantly situated. The concrete flooring has given a great deal of trouble, and has made it impossible for the school to be kept as clean as it should be. This defect also is being remedied.
18. The boys of the Upper School were at the beginning of the year formed into a Cadet Corps attached to the Hongkong Volunteer Corps, with the Headmaster as their Officer. They went into camp at Stonecutter's Island in October. Mr. WILLIAMS reports that "the results achieved in signalling have quite justified the formation of the Corps". Provision for Morris tubes, ammunition and a miniature rifle range behind the school will be made in the Estimates for 1908.
Belilios Public School, Anglo-Chinese Side.
19. I regret to report that the School again shews a falling off in numbers. the average attendance for the year being 82, as against 93 last year. The fees likewise are the lowest that have been collected for many years. The Vernacular Side of the School, which now gives such a good education through the medium of the Chinese language, has taken a good many pupils who otherwise might have attended the Anglo-Chinese Side. Nor are things quite as bad as they appear; because I have in the last 2 years disallowed the attendance of a number of boys who had intruded and climbed into the fold. I do not expect to see any further decline in numbers. The teaching and work of the school is very satisfactory, and worthy of a stronger support by the public.
THE DISTRICT SCHOOLS, UPPER GRADE.
20. In pursuance of the policy of making the District Schools feeders to Queen's College, their Classes were reduced from 7 or 6 to 5 in number, and are now called by names corresponding with those of the Lower and Preparatory Schools at the College, though there the lowest Class, Class VIII, has been abolished.
21. Only a very few boys applied for admission to the District Schools after failing to pass the entrance examination into the College, under the scheme described in last year's Report; but it is too early to be despondent about the success of the scheme. An unusually large number of boys entered the College at Midsummer from Wantsai, and incidentally lowered the average results at the Wantsai Christmas Examinations.
22. The analogous process of linking these schools with the Lower Grade District Schools was continued. Two free scholars are yearly admitted from Aberdeen into Saiying- pun School, and from Tanglungchau inty Wantsai School. And this year a free scholar- ship into Yaumati has been given to the senior pupil of Uenlong School. This last is a step towards bringing education in the New Territories into touch with the Hongkong system. A further development of the linking of schools by scholarships is described in paragraph 41 below.
Saiyingpun Anglo-Chinese School.
23. The average attendance has more than doubled in the year, and there is every sign of a further increase. If that takes place additions to the building will be urgently needed.
24. The school excursions included visits to Taitam, the Electric Light Station, the Works at Deep Water Bay and many other places of interest. including the Arts and Crafts Exhibition, at which there was a large attendance from several Government schools. Many of the boys of Saiyingpun were taught swimming by the Headmaster in the summer. They, like those of the other 2 schools, are keen members of the football league, and play with a doggedness that deserves, but has hitherto fauled to command, success. I lay some stress on these points, because it is to such methods that I attribute the really remarkable change noticeable in the intelligence of the senior pupils in the last few years. Before then, an idea seemed almost universally prevalent, that they came to school to learn as much com- mercial arithmetic and to read and write as much English as would get them a situation: all else was vanity and vexation of spirit.