During their first year, students do two days per week practical teaching and regular reports are furnished by the staff and heads of schools. In addition the principal, the vernacular master and one visiting lecturer visit the students and observe and criticise their lessons. The time allotted to the various branches of instruction is as follows: Practical teaching 33%, Education lectures 15%, academic subjects 43%, physical education 9%.
The work done in academic subjects consists of revision of work already done for matriculation but, by consideration of methods of presentation, is correlated with professional work. Special attention is paid to oral English directly by means of speech training with the aid of phonetics and a recording machine and indirectly by tutorials, debates and discussions.
(b) The University of Hong Kong.
Training of English teachers is also carried out in the University of Hong Kong. Until the session commencing in October, 1939 the professional training was carried out simultaneously with the degree course, which was one of four years. In the first year students read logic, in the second psychology and practical teaching, in the third and fourth years ethics and the theory and history of education. 24 students (9 Government scholars) enrolled prior to the 1939-40 session will continue their course in this way. Future students will first complete their four-year academic course and then continue with 1 year devoted solely to professional study. Eight (6 male) of the students enrolled in 1939 received Government assistance varying from $1,200 (which is sufficient to cover whole cost of an undergraduate's tuition and maintenance) to $400 (£25) annually.
(c) Other Institutions.
Training of vernacular teachers at Eastern District Vernacular School for Girls and Saiyingpun Vernacular School for Boys is to be discontinued when the present students complete their course in July 1940 and 1941 respectively, the Teachers Training College undertaking all work of this nature.
Taipo Normal School will continue with the training of male teachers for the New Territories subsidized schools. Originally the course was one of two years but it was found that the standard reached was too low and another year was added. In 1939, 51 students were in training. In September, 1939 an additional master was added to the original staff of a headmaster and an assistant to cope with the extended course, widened to include handwork, physical education and vegetable and flower gardening. A new building properly designed as a training college is required; the present premises consist of a rented house with no adjacent grounds for physical training or gardening.
Chapter VIII.
FEMALE EDUCATION.
General, Primary, Secondary, Training of Teachers.
During 1939, there were 24 mixed schools, 6 more than in the previous year. Three hundred and eighty-three institutions were classed as girls' schools but most of these schools admitted boys to the lower classes; the old and new regulations made under the Education Ordinance of 1913 permit the admission of boys under twelve years of age to girls' schools and vice versa.