4.
0
In addition one
studying for the first certificate. teacher has one and another teacher has two certificates in Cantonese awarded by the local Chamber of Commerce. But it is to be remembered that a considerable section of the staff is engaged in teaching European children only. Of 120 European teachers in eighteen Grant-in-aid schools, thirty-four claim to have a working knowledge of Cantonese: presumably a majority of the remainder have some knowledge of the language. I referred this question also to the Board of Education, and was informed that the Board had replied that in their view the acquisition of a colloquial knowledge of Chinese should be made compulsory on all Europe an Teachers of the Education Department in future. I concur in principle with the Board's view, but I am not ready to take action on it at the moment. The subject of the training of local teachers, with which is bound up to some extent that of the right numerical proportion of British to Chinese teachers in the Provided and Aided Schools, is at present under examination and I should prefer to reach my conclusions on those issues before proceeding further with the question of compulsory study of Cantonese colloquial.
Fr569.1
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient, humble servant,
Ass. Mathist
Governor.
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