108
alone was accepted as a reason for sending a team of less than the prescribed numerical strength. Disregarding the performances of the last five schools, it cannot be said that any question was generally much better or worse done than the rest. is given in Appendix A.
The paper set
SUGGESTIONS FOR NEXT YEAR'S EXAMINATION.
The present system seems to work very well. The only suggestions I have to offer, are that the paper set for the Advanced Course should another year contain more questions calculated to test a knowledge of the books of reference read to supplement the Manual; and that in the case of the Advanced competition no school should be allowed to send in more than three candidates. Each school should hold a preliminary examination for the purpose of selecting them, unless the teacher can do so by his knowledge of the qualifications of his pupils. If this is done, the examiners will be saved the necessity of wading through a number of papers, which are not nearly good enough to have any chance of winning a prize.
One important school was not represented in the team competition, apparently as a protest against a decision that schools that promote their pupils at midsummer should not be given some compensating advantage. It is obvious that an advantage is gained by those schools which, promoting at Christmas, have their pupils in Standard V. for a whole year prior to the examination. But no remedy suggested itself which was not overcumbrous, or likely to introduce further anomalies. That no overwhelming hardship is caused by the present system is proved by the fact that under it the Italian Convent and the Anglo-Portuguese School came out so well.
EDWARD A. IRVING,
21569
Inspector of Schools.
22289
(No. 86.)
109
No. 58.
GAMBIA.
GOVERNOR SIR G. C. DENTON to THE EARL OF ELGIN. (Received June 24, 1907.)
Government House, Bathurst, Gambia,
June 1, 1907.
MY LORD,
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's despatch circular of the 28th March last.*
2. With regard to paragraph 4 of the despatch under reply I beg to inform your Lordship that the Senior Medical Officer, Dr. Hood, who is now in England, had arranged, previous to the receipt of your Lordship's despatch, to select new and more interesting slides than those which were used by Dr. Forde in the course of lectures which he gave in 1905. Dr. Hood, who proposes to, himself, give some lectures on hygiene on his return to the Gambia, was also to procure some elementary text books, but in view of what is said by your Lordship I have thought it the best plan to request him to place himself in communication with the Colonial Office, and ascertain the best course to follow in the matter.
3. With regard to the progress made in this Colony in the teaching of hygiene during 1906, I forward a copy of a report by the Inspector of Schools on the subject. 4. I cannot say it is encouraging, and I am much disappointed that the subject has not received more attention at Saint Mary's School, but it is, I fear, a question of money. Nothing can be earned by proficiency in hygiene, and, therefore, it is not considered worthy of special attention. This is much to be regretted, and at the next meeting of the Board of Education I hope to arrange that more prominence shall be given to it in the future.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 885
9 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
No. 57.
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.
GOVERNOR SIR J. ANDERSON to THE EARL OF ELGIN.
(Received June 17, 1907.)
(No. 226.) MY LORD,
Government House, Singapore, May 22, 1907. WITH reference to your Lordship's circular despatch of the 28th March* for- . warding a précis of the reports received from the Crown Colonies and Protectorates in the tropics on the progress made during 1905 with the teaching of the rudiments of hygiene in the schools of those countries, I have the honour to report that since the lectures referred to in my despatch, No. 393, of 15th October, 1906,† an account of which embodied in the précis accompanying your Lordship's despatch under reply, there has been little time for any further advance to be shown in the teaching of hygiene.
2. A school reading book is now being prepared by Dr. Brooke, the Port Health Officer, on the same lines as his lectures, and will, I hope, shortly be introduced into the higher classes of a number of the English schools both in the Colony and the Federated Malay States.
*
3. The portions of Dr. T. S. Kerr's primer mentioned in your Lordship's despatch which relate to this part of the world have been translated into Malay and it is intended as soon as the printing of the translation is completed to distribute it to Malay teachers. The Director of Education is of opinion that it would not be advisable to attempt to teach the subject directly in Malay schools, but it is very desirable that all the Malay teachers should be enabled to acquire some knowledge of the subject.
4. With reference to paragraph 4 of the despatch* under reply I have noted what is required but this Colony does not at present propose to participate in the
I have, &c.,
scheme.
JOHN ANDERSON.
I have, &c.,
GEORGE C. DENTON,
Governor.
Enclosure in No. 58.
A REPORT On the Teaching of Hygiene in the Schools of the Gambia during the year 1906.
I regret to report that the progress of the teaching of hygiene in the schools during the year 1906 cannot be regarded as very great, but in the Wesleyan and Roman Catholic schools, which between them form the vast majority of pupils, a beginning, at any rate, was made.
In the Anglican and Mohammedan Schools no instruction was given, and it cannot be said that any progress was made.
In the Roman Catholic Schools, though hygiene was not taught as a class subject, yet the simple rules drawn up by the Committee formed in the previous year to consider the teaching of hygiene were carefully and repeatedly taught and "drilled into " the children; and special attention was given to see that the teachers knew, understood, and carried out the rules.
The results may be said to be satisfactory, for it is reported to me that an appreciable improvement is noticeable in the health and cleanliness of the children, and in particular in freedom from jiggers.
In addition to the teaching of these rules, Dr. Prout's "Lessons on Elementary Hygiene and Sanitation was put into the hands of the manager of these schools, and he from time to time used it as a lecture book for the higher standards.
At the Wesleyan Schools a special time once a week was set apart for the teaching of hygiene, and Dr. Prout's work was used as the text book; not very advanced progress can be reported, but, at any rate, a beginning was made.
At the Technical School no special time was set aside for the teaching of hygiene, but no opportunity was lost of impressing on the boys the necessity of cleanliness and attention to health.
May 31, 1907.
DONALD KINGDON,
Inspector of Schools.
• No. 51.
† No. 40.
• No. 51.