O 21
Annexe C.
REPORT ON VERNACULAR SCHOOLS IN THE COLONY, 1921.
During the year 73 new Private Day Schools were registered, a decrease of 16 from the numbers for the previous year, and 4 Schools South of the Kowloon Hills had their permits exchanged for certificates. 77 Day Schools closed: 21 of these disappeared without notification. 1 Private School was transferred to the Grant List and one Grant School was taken off the list and continued as a Private School. The number of existing Private Day Schools is thus the same as at the end of last year, viz., 359. Of these 1 is exempted (The Chamber of Commerce Language School), 1 is a School for training Coxswains, 3 are in Class A, 271 in Class B and 83 in Class C.
Certificates were also issued to 8 New Night Schools. Of these 2 have closed already, in addition to 6 old Schools. The number of Night Schools now existing is also the same as for the previous year, viz., 16.
Of Grant Schools School No. 104 (Hunghom) was added to the list, and School No. 37 closed at the end of September owing to the Totsai Chapel being no longer available. School No. 83, managed by the Confucian Society, was struck off the list as being inefficient, bringing the total number of Grant Schools down to 53. 57 Schools have been subsidised during the year, as compared with 66 in 1920. The reason for the decrease is that 1920 being the first year of the Subsidies scheme, new schools received subsidies only from the beginning of the school term, thereby effecting a saving of two months' subsidy which was sufficient to help 9 more schools. The award of Subsidies has helped to keep Schools settled and there have been comparatively few changes among the Subsidised ones: this all helps towards efficiency. The payment of subsidies has also meant that fees have been kept down, which in several cases has led to a large increase in the attendance, the average attendance for the 57 Schools being practically the same as for 66 Schools in the preceding year.
The Scholarships from Vernacular Grant Schools to District Schools were increased from 10 to 12, and similar scholarships to the Belilios Public School were awarded to Girls' Schools, to the number of 8.
An Industrial School started by the Wesleyan Mission at 19c. High Street has done well, and there is reason to think that there will soon be further developments in this direction.
A. R. CAVALIER,
Y. P. LAW,
Inspectors of Vernacular Schools.
9th February, 1922.