Part II.
Chapter I.
EVENTS OF THE YEAR.
23. At the beginning of the year the Colony was visited by Mr. E. Burney, M.C., one of His Majesty's Inspectors of Schools, England, who made an enquiry into the local educational system. His report has been published by the Crown Agents for the Colonies.
24. In May, H. E. the Governor, Sir William Peel, laid the foundation stone of the new Central British School, Kowloon.
25. The newly-instituted School Certificate Examination was held for the first time in June.
26. The 25th Anniversary of the Accession of his late Majesty King George was duly celebrated, a printed address by the Governor to children being read in all schools and a Jubilee medal distributed to 73,000 school children.
27. In order to encourage school-gardening in rural schools H. E. Sir William Peel, on the eve of his departure, presented a Challenge Cup for the best garden attached to a Government school in the rural districts.
Chapter II.
LEGISLATION, ADMINISTRATION AND CONTROL.
28. Regulations 1 and 2 of the Regulations made by the Governor-in-Council under section 12 of the Education Ordinance were amended. The substantial effect of the amendment to regulation 1 is to require, instead of 8 sq. ft., the minimum hitherto laid down, a minimum of 9 sq. ft. of floor space 'per' pupil in urban elementary Vernacular schools (and 10 sq. ft. in the 'middle schools').
29. Regulation 2 as amended gives more control over the erection of partitions in tenement floors occupied as schools.
30. Simultaneously the opportunity was taken to remove from the Grant Code an anomaly by which not only was extra floor-space, over and above the legal minimum, demanded of Grant Schools as a condition of grant, but the extent of the extra space was determined by reference to the medium of instruction. There is thus now a common minimum for all schools irrespective of whether they receive assistance from public funds or not; and irrespective of the language in which instruction is given.