12. To another matter also the personal attention of all managers is requested. Greater accuracy is necessary in making up the annual returns. In England, grants are not paid until these have been examined and: passed;. and, although there is no desire to hold out a threat, it may be advisable to adopt the same plan here. Chinese teachers especially have no notion of accuracy, probably because they cannot appreciate the value of statistics, which, it is needless to say, are worse than useless when strictly correct. Managers will find it absolutely necessary to check every entry made by the teachers,, if trouble to themselves and delay elsewhere are to be avoided in future.
13. Coming more particularly to the results of the examination, the question of attendance hasing already been discussed, 390 scholars were presented and 300 passed; in other words, the Kisses. nmounted: to 77 per cent. This is lower than the average reached in England, but not lower erhaps than our special circumstances will account for. Speaking of the Birmingham Board Schools in November last, the Chairman is reported to have said: "As to educational results, the average number of passes. is now 86 per cent.,.und for the past three years 84 per cent., while the average for the chole country has been a fraction less than 80 per cent." As only three of our schools are below that mark, there are good grounds for hope that we shall not be long behind our contemporaries.
14. Arranged in accordance with the number of scholars who passed in the standards, the schools. stand in the following order. The percentages for 1875 are also given, for the sake of comparison.
1. Baxter School, Sai Ying-p'ún,..
2. St. Stephen's Church School, Sai Ying-p'ún, 3. Victoria: Girls' School,.
4. Baxter School, Staunton Street,
5. Baxter School, T'ái-p'ing Shán,
6. St. Paul's College. School,
7. Victoria Boys' School,
•
8. St. Stephen's Church School, Tái-p'ing Shán, 9. Basel Mission Girls' School,
10. London Mission School, T'ái-ping Shán, 11. London Mission School, Wán-tsai,
1876.
1875.
..90 per cent. 83 per cent.
:སྨཱ
....88 11 .86 "J .86
""
*
77
17
11
31
17
.86
86
11
"
**
11
···83
"1
"
..81
99
11
62
11
.80
92
"1
11
17
17
.72
82
35
11
63
*
62
•
13
"1
19
..59
88
11
=
It is always necessary to repeat that this does not afford a just basis of comparison between the schools, on account of the different classes to which they belong; but, taking it in conjunction with the passes in the several subjects taught in the schools, as given in Table XIII, it will not be difficult to arrive at a hair conclusion as to the comparative merits of the schools. Managers will do well to give that Table a careful perusal, as by it they can best ascertain wherein their strength or their weakness lies.
15. In explanation of these two kinds of passes, it inny be stated that a scholar may pass in read- ing but fail in writing or arithmetic, or in both. He will therefore not pass in the standard, but his pass in reading will count in estimating the general efficiency of the school. In England, all passes are paid for, but here, as in some other places, scholars are treated individually, and they have to pass fairly in all the subjects of a standard before the school gets the benefit of the result. This, of course, is a more laborious work for the examiner, but while the schools are limited in number as at present the additional labour may be disregarded; for the plan adopted is a better test of how far each scholar has benefited by the instruction given to him, and of his individual fitness for promotion to a higher standard. The higher values assigned to passes here make up for any loss arising from failures in individual subjects. In England, the rate is four shillings for a pass in reading, the same for one in writing, and the same for one in arithmetic, in all the standards. Here, the sums allowed for passes in the standards rise in a graduated scale from two dollars in the first to as much as eight, nine, and ten dollars in the sixth, according to the class in which the school is ranked. The greater expense attending education here is an additional reason for the higher rate of payment.
16 In addition to these general remarks, it will be proper to say something of the individual merits of these schools. For this purpose they will be taken in groups, in the order suggested by the preceding arrangement.
17. The Baxter Schools for Chinese Girls are advancing steadily both in numbers and in efficiency. The Staunton Street school was rather weak in geography, and the Tái-p'ing Shán school in the Explanation of the passages selected for reading; but, with these exceptions, the schools stand very high in all the subjects taught in them. The Tái-ping Shún school was removed early in the year incommodious premises to the Baxter Memorial School, which is all that could be desired a class-room. The other schools are in fairly suitable buildings.
fmun
as
very
18. The St. Stephen's Church Schools are two in number. The new school situated in Sui Ying- pin, promises well. The scholars were wisely confined to the three lower standards, thus ensuring efficiency for the present and a solid foundation for the future. Reading was comparatively the weakest subject, but in other respects the school stood well. There were only four failures. The Ting Shán school, for the reason already given, did not stand so high as in the previous year. The fall of 12 per cent. in the number of passes was due to too great an anxiety on the part of the Master to push on his scholars too rapidly, and also to his undervaluing the effect of the slight raising of the standards. This will be remedied in future, as both manager and master are alive to the mis- ake that was made. Barring this, there was abundant evidence of much hard work during the year. could it be said to be really deficient. In several subjects the school stood much higher than any other in its own class. In composition alone