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, Wán-tsui, Wong-nai-chung, Shau-ki-wan, Stanley and Yan-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.
語義五有七一賞仔年教一時七增至庶燕學名三十千之黃及英十有十幾制所由百八八一文二六七幼軍有此六年百聖千之名百全學不學觀十時七會八書於八時!壯憚習之十義箕百館一十有家翻行熄英七學灣七除千三六義教文計於百年所赤十國致諄之四一八時有柱九家百於有諄學年千十有學油年:學油年大八此勸童來八名二習蔴以書十千自諭其或百於百英地來院要數在八一五五文各開外時百於之教之在遞國十千十之館設自有七一童習本家八三學均書一八十千亦英港所義時百名童教館千百九八然文播增學有七於數英即八六年百查之楊甚或四十一亦文西百十時七一書英文皆聖三年八益領盤十名八八八遞英由會十時百於助灣八查百年百年
謹八殊師有謂當循序漸進之課謹抒鄙見於後八十年時全備一如嚼昔此事殊堪詭異但做監院以爲或有故其故念該書院所有才幹之教師所用整肅之教法在此一千八百試局所陳錄記一册附呈因之無庸贅說只云此實不幸之事推原程欲見諳熟各藝之童元莫得其陳該每甄嘗忝創址畧建以該用此書別學童不無過於壅塞而按兼教英文華文各班年內頻陞班次不無太預備如此詳細甄別故甄別該書院較諸甄別領助賞之各聖會義別之法嘗用助賞規條之要處以爲基地卽用語言文字逐童循序敝監院忝居考試局主席因之膽敢約畧言此甄別之效按當日甄甄別叉將各童所列班次及週年所習課程欸辨條分陸續甄別叉速鄰於鑑等迨歲暮時每童於某藝所學多寡立定圈數若干但各試官念及該書院未在各班内週年隨時所事實屬創舉溯自一千八百六十二年建該院以來未嘗有此竊於一千八百八十年特派試官代教師以甄別國家大書院生徒此
學工課求其畫一者十莫得五叉照該書院所所時太而班辨語甄院此叉序序甄竊此
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.
八推故百原各該畫甘藝藝進書之院者時暮無