199
No.
8
1931
HONG KONG.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON PRACTICAL TECHNICAL EDUCATION.
We the members of the Committee appointed by His Excellency the Governor under notification No. 615, as published in the Hong Kong Government Gazette of the 3rd October, 1930, have the honour to submit our report.
I. Introduction.
2. The terms of our reference were "to report on the possibility of increasing Terms of facilities for practical technical education and the feasibility of establishing a Trade & Procedure. School". The Committee has met four times. To save members' time, various enquiries have been carried out by the Chairman who has visited the Taikoo and Hong Kong Whampoa Dock Companies' yards and secured the views of the directors, managers and others of these concerns. The Chairman has had interviews with Mr. A. C. MacKichan of the firm of Messrs. Leigh & Orange; Hong Kong, and with representative Chinese building contractors. The Chairman has also visited the St. Louis Industrial School, West Point, and conferred with the Rev. Father Kerec of the Salesian Institute, the School's acting Superior. Memoranda of these visits and interviews are attached to this report. A Memorandum of the Chairman's visit to the Taikoo Dockyard was sent by Mr. T. H. R. Shaw to Messrs. John Swire & Sons Ltd., London, who showed it to Mr. K. E. Greig, Manager of the Taikoo Dock, who was at the time in London. Messrs. John Swire & Sons Ltd., were good enough to send to Mr. Shaw a statement of their views, as also of those of Mr. Greig. Mr. Shaw placed these views before the Committee and the Committee has thus had the advantage of having them before it.
II. Existing Facilities for Technical Education in Hong Kong.
of Engineer-
3. The University maintains and conducts an engineering faculty and this The Univers faculty has received a generous endowment from Messrs. John Swire & Sons Ltd. ity's Faculty and their allied interests. The engineering course covers 4 years. Admission to ing. this course is through the University's matriculation examination or any other examination recognised as equivalent thereto. To qualify for matriculation in the Faculties of Engineering and Arts, a candidate must at one and the same examina- tion satisfy the examiners in English and mathematics, and in three other sections. The three other sections must be taken from a list which contains, (1) Chinese Language and Literature, (2) either (a) Latin (including set books), or (b) "a classical oriental language other than Chinese", (3) geography, (4) any modern language other than English or a Chinese dialect, (5) Mandarin, (6) history, (7) physics, (8) chem- istry, (9) "optional" mathematics, (10) drawing and (11) botany. The regulations of the University make it necessary for every Chinese candidate for matriculation, who has not obtained exemption from the Senate, to satisfy the examiners in "Chinese Language and Literature". The subject "Chinese Language and Litera- ture" comprises (1) essay in Chinese on a given subject, (2) translation of Classical Chinese into English of passages taken from the "four books", and of modern literary Chinese, (3) translation of English into Classical Chinese and modern literary Chinese, (4) questions on Chinese grammar, Chinese history, and Chinese geography To pass in Chinese language and literature, a candidate has to reach a sufficient standard in each of the four sections set out above. In the course of the last few months the syllabus has been simplified both as regards what is attempted in Govern- ment English Schools and what the University will require for its matriculation test. The simplified syllabus has not yet come into force.
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