50
Opportunities for Women.
Married
Women at Work.
Educational Practice.
stringent times, but it seems to me an insurance policy against the future.
V. (a) Only recently has a senior woman been established in the Hong Kong Education Department. Her title I think is misleading. Her functions are those of the senior women of any territory. She should be general guide, counsellor and friend to all women teachers and students of all races. She should be consulted on all staff postings and on all selection of women for further education and for training overseas. She should be one of the cabinet of the Director of Education when policy and major problems are being discussed. She should be recognised by her colleagues as having these duties and responsibilities. As always in such cases it is her personality rather than her office that contributes to the value of her work. I think the situation would be made clearer for everyone and brought more into line with current colonial practice if her title became that of Assistant Director of Education (Women and Girls). The present holder of the post of Inspectress of Schools is making an admirable contribution to the situation.
(b)
Another most important need in Hong Kong at the moment is for a Dean of Women Students at the Northcote Training College. This training college is a non-resident one so that it is all the more important that the welfare of the women students should be in the hands of one particular member of staff who will be able to help them in a variety of ways in work, in leisure, in social relations, and in general problems.
VI.
Far be it from me to question the right of married women with professional qualifications of continuing to work, especially where their services are so desperately needed as in education in Hong Kong. I think however, there is a tendency for it to complicate matters for the Education Department when the wives of so many of its senior officials are on the staffs of the various educational institutions. I am not making any recommendations on this matter at all as I know that in many cases the wives are only working in order to pay their children's school fees in England. I
am only mentioning it as a factor which sometimes leads to complications.
VII. (a) The Education Department have had so much to do both in restoring the pre-war situation and in building up a system to meet the ever-increasing current needs that it has not had time to do as much on the professional side as it would wish to do. I think however that very definite action should be taken on educational courses, conferences and discussions on some of the aspects of education that do not appear as prime economic necessities. In this the cooperation between the many agencies of education can be developed even more than at the moment. I would here like to mention again how impressed I was with the great friendliness and the mutual appreciation of Government and Mission. I refer to such things as the development of speech training and choral speaking, of mime, puppetry and dramatics and so on.
(b) I understand that steps are now being taken to establish a schools broadcasting service. This is greatly needed as a follow up to some of the other points that have already been discussed, particularly in relation to the spread of English as a second mother-tongue.
(c) I do not believe that trouble can be avoided by running away from it. For this reason I hope Hong Kong will take the offensive in adult education not least in the field of discussion groups on current problems, economics and politics. Although I am aware of the dangers, it seems to me to be worth a risk for it can be a positive counter measure to Communist propaganda.
(a) The British Council is making a lively contribution to the cultural and intellectual life of Hong Kong. There is need however for a great deal more provision of literature, through libraries, reading rooms, and so on.
/CONCLUSION