47
table, the cut-off at age 10 was not followed for full-time students, and the enumerated students probably include all full-time students, including those below 10. If so, the percentage of male children aged 5-15 at school on the census date was 20.3%. The corresponding figures for Southern District in 1911 (including New Kowloon) are 1,365 males students, or 28.0% of those aged 5-15. It is likely that not all students were recorded by the enumerators, with the actual number of students being higher than recorded. In comparison, the 33 female students enumerated in 1911 in Northern District represent just 0.5% of the enumerated female population aged 5-15. Unfortunately, the 1921 Census does not give any figures for full-time students.
Four other censuses of school populations in the New Territories survive, however, for the period 1900-1921, and these throw considerable light on the census records (see Table 18). In 1902 it was estimated that “over 4,000” children were at school in the New Territories as a whole out of 17,500 male children under 15.
Table 18
Source No. of students % age of males of school age Brewin Report, 1900 4000+ Census 1911 N. District 1729 22.9% 20.3% $ District! 771 28.0%# Total 2500 22.3% Orme Report 1912 N District 2449 28.9% Islands 570 55.5%# Total 3019 31.7% Sung Report 1913 N District 2990 35.2% Islands 233+168=401 39.1%# Total 3391 35.7% Schools Census 1921 (enrolled) 3989 32.9% (regularly attending school) (3096) (25.5%) # Excluding boat-people + Including New Kowloon Excluding students in government schoolsThese figures are impressionistic, and on the high side (in 1911