Eastern.
Printed for the use of the Colonial Office, January 1897.
No. 64,
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.
INFORMATION
FOR
CANDIDATES FOR SCHOOL-MASTERSHIPS.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 882
5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
THE Government English schools at present consist of a high school in the town of Malacca, five branch schools in the town of Singapore, and a branch school in the town of Penang.
As
2. The pupils attending these schools, who are all day pupils, are of many nation- alities, among whom the Chinese, Eurasians, and Indians are the most numerous. regards their work, the schools are similar to first-class elementary schools in England, with this important difference, that the primary object of these schools is to give some knowledge of English to boys who have little or no knowledge of that language when they first come to school. The language which every one talks, and through the medium of which much of the instruction in the lower classes must be given, is Malay—a sufficient knowledge of which, for the purposes of teaching, may be acquired without any difficulty. The average intelligence of the boys is perhaps lower than that of similar boys in England. The most important qualifications for a teacher are energy', patience, perseverance, and a power of adapting himself to conditions in many respects dissimilar to any he is likely to have met with before. The instruction is wholly secule, in fact the large majority of the boys are not Christians.
3. The school hours vary at different schools, but all the schools are opened for five hours every day except Saturday and Sunday, when there is no school. The month of July is a holiday, and there is a holiday of about three weeks at the beginning of February (Chinese New Year); there is also a holiday of about one week at Christmas and one week at Easter. Of course. these holidays are liable to be altered from time to time.
4. The masters selected will be required to enter into an agreement on the following
terms:-
(a.) Passage of a master from England to the Colony is provided by the Government, also a return passage on the expiration of his agreement, should his services not be retained.
(b.) The salary offered is one hundred dollars ($100) a month, paid monthly, with
an allowance of $15 a month for rent, or free unfurnished quarters.
The master draws half salary from the date of his embarking, and full salary from the date of his arrival in the Colony.
(c.) Should the master leave the service of the Government within three years from the date of his arrival in the Colony, except in case of illness, or with the permission the Government, he shall repay to the Government the amount of his passage money.
(d.) At the expiration of three years, should the master's services be retained, he will be placed on the fixed establishment of the Colony, and will become entitled to the privileges of the service as regards leave of absence, pension, &c. with effect from the date of his original appointment.
After being placed on the fixed establishment of the Colony, he will have to contribute to the Widows' and Orphans' Fund at the rate of 4 per cent. of any future salary paid to him.
5. A scheme of periodical increments is now allowed after good service, under which a master will, if his services are retained, receive in the fourth year of his service salary
O 95601. 100.-1/97. Wt. 91382. E&L