PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :--
C.O. 885
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
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9 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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course. Considering that the subject was a new one, and had only been studied for a part of the year, the result of the examination was satisfactory. The recom- mendations contained in Part IV of Mr. Irving's report will receive due considera- tion, and I trust that next year's report will show that the study of hygiene on sound and practical lines has been firmly established in the schools of Hong Kong.
I have, &c.,
Enclosure 1 in No. 17.
GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.-No. 731.
M. NATHAN,
Governor, &c.
It is hereby notified that arrangements are being made with the Royal Sanitary Institute of Great Britain, by the local branch, to conduct an examination in
Practical Hygiene for school teachers" early in March, 1906.
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Full particulars as to the Syllabus can be obtained from the Principal Civil Medical Officer, or from the Inspector of Schools, or from the Head Master of Queen's College.
A Certificate of Candidates must not be less than twenty years of age. Competency, bearing the Seal of the Institute, is granted to each successful candidate.
The fee for the examination will be $20.
Intending candidates will find that the course of lectures at present being given under the auspices of the local branch of the Royal Sanitary Institute will be of value in enabling them to prepare for this examination. The fee for this course of lectures, which extends to February, 1906, is $15, and copies of the Syllabus can be obtained on application to the Branch Secretary, Mr. Adam Gibson, at the office of the Sanitary Board. A course of lectures on "First Aid" will also be arranged for early in the New Year, to supply the necessary instruction to intending candidates, in this part of the Examination.
The lecture fees and examination fees of successful candidates who are employed in Government or Grant-in-Aid schools will be refunded to them by the Government.
By Command,
Colonial Secretary's Office, Hong Kong,
November 3, 1905.
Enclosure 2 in No. 17.
T. SERCOMBE SMITH,
Colonial Secretary.
GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.-No. 780.
In continuation of Government Notification No. 731 of November 3rd, 1905, it is hereby notified that it is also proposed to arrange for the holding of an examination, in May or June, 1908, for the Certificate in Elementary Hygiene granted by the Science and Art Department, South Kensington. This Certificate is preliminary to the Certificate in Advanced Hygiene granted by South Kensington, which is equivalent to that granted by the Royal Sanitary Institute.
Colonial Secretary's Office,
Hong Kong.
November 24, 1905.
By Command,
T. SERCOMBE SMITH,
Colonial Secretary.
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Enclosure 3 in No. 17.
HONG KONG,
No. 2/1906.
REPORT ON THE TEACHING OF HYGIENE IN THE SCHOOLS OF HONG KONG. Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor.
Towards the end of the year 1903, a Circular was received from the Secretary of State for the Colonies, forwarding a copy of a despatch from the Governor of Lagos on the subject of teaching Hygiene in schools. It was suggested in the circular that "skilfully arranged lessons on the natural history of the causes of the most important tropical diseases might be made very attractive to children, and that such teaching would be of practical utility in the future." The Secretary of State desired to be informed whether any teaching of this nature was at that time being given in the schools of Hong Kong, or whether it could profitably be given.
2. Hygiene had not at that time been taught in the schools of the Colony, except here and there in a sporadic and disconnected way, under the names of Domestic Science and Physiology. To advise how the subject might be con- veniently introduced, Mr. May, the Officer Administering the Government, appointed a Committee, consisting of the Principal Civil Medical Officer, the Headmaster of Queen's College, and the Inspector of Schools, to draw up a scheme for the Colony. Their Report, sent in in February, 1904, recommended that—
(a) the subject should be made compulsory in the Anglo-Chinese Schools of
Colony;
(b) it should be taught orally in the lower Standards, and by means of
simple text books in the higher;
(c) the Medical Officer of Health should be requested to draw up a Syllabus. The Syllabus suggested in (c) as first drawn up required considerable modi- fication, and finally His Excellency the Governor outlined a completer Course of Instruction, which was embodied in the Course of Hygiene now used in the Schools, compiled at the close of 1904 by Dr. W. W. Pearse, Medical Officer of Health.
3. His Excellency decided that the subject, with this Course as a basis, should be made compulsory in all Government and Grant Schools and the Grant Code was amended conformably early in March, 1905. At the suggestion of Dr. Wright and myself, it was further decided that the Advanced Course should be taught to Standards VII and VI, and the Elementary Course to Standards V, IV and III, that the time given to the subject should be 2 weekly periods of hour each and that one of these should be occupied with reading the Course, and the other with the subject treated as an object lesson.
4. It having been decided by His Excellency that progress should be tested. by an examination, one was accordingly held at the beginning of December last, as described below. The results were the fruit of less than 8 months' work, broken by the Summer holidays. Delay was also caused by the necessity of procuring the books of reference for the Advanced Course from Home. One or two Grant Schools elected to defer beginning the subject till after the close of their school year in June.
But on the whole, work was started without needless delay; nor did the teachers find much difficulty in grasping the proper way of imparting instruction. A few suggestions are made at the end of this Report. The number of pupils under instruction is returned as 1,524, of whom 307 or 20 per cent., took the Advanced Course. Details are given in Appendix A.
II.
5. His Excellency the Governor having offered prizes of $100, $50 and $25 for the 3 best papers done by pupils studying the Advanced Course, and a Shield with 2 prizes of $15 and $10 for the school which should send in the best Team of 10 competitors from the Standards taking the Elementary Course, these rewards were given on the results of the before-mentioned examination, which was under- taken by the Principal Civil Medical Officer and the Medical Officer of Health: The papers set are given in Appendix B. Appendix C shows the arrangements made for the conduct of the examination: these were left to me. Some suggestions as to how the conditions of the examination might be modified by the present 'experience, are given at the end of this Report.