6. As regards the nature of the instruction afforded in the Schools of the Colony, there has been a steady increase of late in the number of Schools that teach English. The number of scholars learning English in Government Schools advanced, accordingly, from 661 in 1877 to 683 in 1878, to 812 in 1879, and to 864 in 1880, English being now taught, not only in the Central School, but since 1878 and 1879 also in the following Government Schools:---- Sai-ying-p'ún, Wan-tsai, Wong-nai-ch'ung, Shan-ki-wán, Stanley and Yau-má-ti. In the Grant-in-aid Schools the number of scholars learning English advanced from 253 in 1877 to 280 in 1878, to 368 in 1879, and to 435 in 1880. There has therefore been a considerable and steady increase during the last four years in the number of scholars learning English, in both the Government Schools and the Grant-in-aid Schools, the natural result of the unwearied attention which Sir John Pope Hennessy gave to the promotion of a knowledge and use of the English Language in this Colony.
7. The work done by the Government Central School in 1880 has been tested, for the first time since the establishment of the School (in 1862), by a Commission of independent Examiners, instead of by the Masters themselves. As Chairman of this Commission, I may be permitted to state here briefly the result of the examination. This examination was conducted on the principles of the Grant-in-aid Schedule, that is to say, every scholar was examined individually, both orally and in writing, in every single subject which had been taught during the year in his class, and each scholar had a definite number of marks allotted to him in each subject. Owing to the unpreparedness of the School for such a searching examination, a much broader margin of indulgence for mistakes was allowed to each boy than is customary at the Grant-in-aid School examinations. Nevertheless, the result of the examination, both in English and Chinese, showed the School to be in practical results below the average of similar Grant-in-aid Schools. I append the detailed report of the Commission, and confine myself to stating that this unfavourable result, puzzling as it appears in view of the fact that the teaching power and discipline of the School were as perfect in 1880 as ever before, can be traced, in my opinion, to the following circumstances.
As regards both English and Chinese teaching, the classes are too large, and there is a system of such rapid promotion from one class to another, that at the end of the year scarcely half the boys of any one class have had the same course of teaching during any term of the year, and scarcely any boy in the whole school is thoroughly grounded in the entire course of study through which he ought to have passed according to the school plan.
As regards English teaching, the time occupied by Chinese studies being about half of each day's work, and 8 hours' a day schooling,——far too much for the energy of any boy, especially in a tropical climate like this,——being required of each, there is too little time devoted to English studies, or too little energy left in the boys amid so multifarious a number of diverse subjects as is here crowded into the short space of time allowed for English teaching each day. Geometry, Algebra, Chemistry, Mathematical drawing and Mensuration are taught every week to two classes of boys, scarcely any of whom can put a single sentence into grammatical, not to say idiomatic, English. English speaking is still comparatively neglected in the School, in consequence of the variety of subjects engrossing the scanty time devoted to English studies.
As regards the Chinese teaching of the School, the results were extremely unsatisfactory, owing chiefly to the number of boys crowded into each class, and the semi-foreign method of teaching adopted in this department of the School.
Finally, I may repeat here the conviction I have often expressed, that as long as we have no Institution for the training of teachers in the Schools of this Colony we cannot expect satisfactory results in any of our Schools. This applies also to the Central School, as a knowledge of Chinese is indispensable in a Master who is to teach Chinese boys.
8. The Grant-in-aid Scheme has been further enlarged in 1880 by the addition of Building Grants. A copy of the revised Schedule, as approved by the Secretary of State under date of 17th April, 1880, published in the Government Gazette of 5th June, 1880, is appended to this Report.
9. I further append, as a matter of record, a printed paper giving the details of certain Medical and other Scholarships established by the munificence of Mr. E. R. Belilios, together with the Rules and Regulations established by the Directors of the Tung-wá Hospital regarding the study of Medicine. These papers were published in the Government Gazette of 26th June, 1880.
10. In August 1880, His Excellency the Governor appointed a Commission, which is still sitting, to inquire to what extent and at what cost and under what circumstances certain new Government Schools may be made to take the place of the Central School in giving an elementary education, and further at what cost and with what staff and organization the Central School may be raised into a Collegiate Institution giving a higher education in English and Science and drawing students from the new subsidiary schools and elsewhere.
I have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient Servant,
E. J. Eitel,
Inspector of Schools.