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On the one hand it is obviously wasteful and impracticable to duplicate the work of the English Schools; on the other, it must be remembered that Technical efficiency, unaccompanied by a reasonable knowledge of English, is useless as a means of securing promotion in Hong Kong: as previously pointed out, many foremen in various engineering and Government workshops owe their position rather to their knowledge of English than to their mechanical ability.
In the case of the Junior Courses the teaching of English is regarded as of prime importance. There is very little duplication of the work of the English Schools, as the English taught at the Junior Technical School is at least half what may be described as "Technical" in other words Junior Technical School English describes industrial machines and processes, and gives enough general English to enable its students to understand an ordinary conversation dealing with familiar objects.
As regards other courses, each one will require to be considered separately.
Marine Engineering :-The final examination for this course is held in English, part written, part oral. A course in Technical English will be essential, and whether or not the necessity for a general course will arise depends entirely on the type of student who comes forward. If the better educated type is attracted, as seems reasonable to expect, then the fact that most of the instruction must of necessity be in English may serve to give the student the requisite knowledge of Colloquial. It must be remembered that, during his 18 months at sea previous to sitting for his examination, the student will be compelled to use English in con- versation with his superior officers, so that it is not necessary to ensure that the full degree of proficiency is acquired during the School course.
Technical English can very well be taught by a Chinese University Teacher It is probable that an Engineering Graduate would be most suitable for this work.
Colloquial could if necessary be taught by attaching an English master from one of the English schools for a few hours per week.
Building :-Some Technical English will again be essential, but it is expected that day students will be fairly well grounded in general English. In this course there is no external examination, so that all that will be required is sufficient English to understand an Architect's drawings, schedules of quantities, etc. It is extremely doubtful whether it will be possible to teach sufficient English to enable a student to comprehend a complete specification and "conditions of contract" for a large job. A University Trained Teacher could do this work adequately after training in the School.
Automobile Repair :-For promotion in one of the larger firms in Hong Kong, English is essential. As many of the students will have little or no knowledge of English, it is suggested that, apart from names of parts and processes, the in- dividual be left at first to acquire his English by evening tuition. It is always possible, however, that, if students seem to be leaving without completing their course in order to start earning, it may be possible to hold the class together by offering a few hours' English per week, taught by a University Trained Teacher,
(11) GENERAL ADMINISTRATION.
Owing to the peculiarities of Technical Education, whereby the work in any school is split up into a number of more or less independent courses it is felt that, to have a separate Head for each school would not only lead to unnecessary complications and uneconomical working, but would be apt to lead to friction between the staffs responsible for the various courses.
It is considered that each department-in the first instance Junior, Engineering, and Building should have a Chief Instructor as its Head. These Chief Instructors should be directly responsible for the teaching work in their own department, and