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REGE CT JE
THIS EXCELLENCY
SIR,
SIR HENRY BLAKE, G.C.M.G.,
Governor, etc., etc.
We, the undersigned residents in Hongkong, beg to call your Excellency's attention to the following facts with regard to Education in Hongkong, in the hope that means may be found for the provision of Education for the European children in the Colony, better than exist at present.
1. The need of suitable Education for European children in the Colony is now very great. The European population is steadily increasing. The number of European children in the Colony between the ages of 5 to 16 (inclusive), as shown by the recent Census, is 175 males and 202 females.
Of these a very large proportion are the children of parents of small means, including many employees of the Government, who cannot afford either a private education, or to send their children to Europe for schooling. To these a school in the Colony where a suitable education can be obtained is an absolute necessity.
2. At present no suitable education for European children, other than Portuguese, is provided in the Colony. This statement may seem at first somewhat surprising in view of the number of schools maintained or assisted by the Government in which "a European education is said to be given in a European language.” We venture, however, to think that the following considerations will show that our statement is not inaccurate.
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(4.) The schools in the Colony assisted by Government are 96 in number. Of these 70 schools are in Class I, "in which a Chinese education is given"; 3 schools are in Class II, in which "a European education is given in the Chinese language." The schools in these two classes are obviously not available for European children. The schools in Class III, "in which a European education is given in any European language," are 23 in number. But in the great majority of these schools the masters are Chinese only; and these Chinese masters are not only incompetent to give a European education to European children; but also habitually use their own language as the medium of instruction in explaining the English books, which they teach, to their pupils. Such schools are, therefore, also not available for Europeans. There are only two Grant-in-aid Schools in Class III which have English teachers, and are open to Europeans. In addition to the schools in these three Classes, there are the Queen's College and the Belilios Public School maintained by the Government, in which there are English teachers; and also eleven schools maintained by the Government, in which there are only Chinese teachers. Thus of a total of 109 schools there are only 4 available for English children.