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their ordinary scholastic duties are responsible for :-
(a) The drawing up of the monthly paysheets and payment
of the teachers' salaries.
(0)
The collection of pupils' fees, and the payment of
these into the Bank.
(c)
The disbursement of moneys in account of the school
monthly bills.
The Commissioners understand that these financial duties are
a source of aggravation to the Heads of Schools, especially
in large schools with an attendance roll of over six hundred
pupils, and a large staff of teachers of varying salary
grades. They consider that these duties more properly belong
to the clerical staff of the Education Office,
(a) The duty of the drawing up of the monthly paysheets has only of recent years devolved upon the Heads of Schools.
This devolution adds unnecessarily to the burdens of the
Heads by making them share unduly in the financial responsibil-
ity of the Department.
(b) In regard to the collection of pupils' fees by the
Heads of Schools, the Commissioners consider that the present
plan is cumbersome and ill -managed. During the sessions of
the Commission it was tentatively proposed by the Commissioners that the pupils' fees should be paid at the Head Office instead of at the Schools, but the proposal was
condenmed as too difficult of execution. The Commissioners
consider that the proposal is not impossible of execution.
In the British schools the pupils have for long paid their
fees termly not monthly; thus the payment of these at the
Head Office should present no great obstacles. It was stated
that in the case of Chinese schools it would not be
practicable to collect fees termiy, and that therefore the
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