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(e) Moral and Religious Instruction.
No direct moral or religious instruction was given in Government schools, but every master and mistress was expected to inculcate the observance of right conduct by practice and precept. Discipline was good in all schools but in some there was still too much passive listening. Religious instruction was given in schools conducted by missionary bodies but such schools were not permitted to include the time devoted to this in the minimum hours for attendance. In the school certificate examinations several pupils from other schools offered religious knowledge as one of their subjects. Civics and ethics were included in the "seung sik" and "go mun" of vernacular schools.
(f) Boy Scouts, Girl Guides and other organisations.
(i) Boy Scouts increased their popularity, the figures for enrolment being almost double those in 1938. Associated directly with schools in the Colony were twenty-nine groups with 542 scouts, 29 wolf cubs, 49 rover scouts and 75 officers.
(ii) Connected with schools in Hong Kong were eight companies of Girl Guides with a total enrolment of 140 and five packs of Brownies with a total of 81. These figures represent an increase of 50% over those of last year.
(iii) Seven brigade sections of St. John's Ambulance Association with an approximate total strength of 190 were associated with schools. Social service formed an important part of the work of the sections, considerable assistance being given in the matter of vaccination and first aid generally.
(g) Arrangements for defective and delinquent children.
(i) As already stated in Chapter II, a school for deaf and dumb situated in Kowloon City had an enrolment of 19 males and 18 females. It received a subsidy of £45 from Government in 1939.
(ii) The home for the blind continued its work in Hong Kong but it was not registered as a school.
(iii) Some delinquent children are sent to the subsidized industrial schools and others go to the rural orphanage. Besides these registered institutions, there are others which work in collaboration with the Secretariat of Chinese Affairs.
(h) Camp and Food Kitchen Schools.
The Hong Kong Refugee and Social Welfare Council devoted a great deal of its time to the education of 2,000 children in the camps and food kitchens established for refugees from China. The camp teachers were themselves refugees and lived in the camp.
The Council aimed at training the children in cultivation of the land and other occupations useful in village life.
Chapter X.
MISCELLANEOUS.
(a) Co-operation with other departments.
As in former years, a number of public examinations were conducted, details of which will be found in General Table VI.
The previous chapter indicates the extent of the assistance received from the Medical Department. The Botanical and Forestry Department and the Public Works Department maintained buildings and grounds in good repair, the former also assisting and providing advice regarding school gardens; the Secretariat for Chinese Affairs gave advice about the financial position of applicants for Government scholarships at the local university; the Kowloon Canton Railway (British Section) provided season tickets at reduced rates for pupils requiring them. Accommodation was provided in some schools for A. R. P. classes, and the Air Raid Precautions Office co-operated in the provision of suitable equipment for schools.