CO885-9 — Page 537

' । य । ।

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

.......................0, 8859 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

106

during the year under review. A general improvement is apparent, not only in the pupils, but also in the ability to teach the subject shown by the teachers. This is especially true of the Chinese masters of the three District Schools, whose know- ledge of hygiene was, two years ago, a negligible quantity. During the earlier part of the year they received regular instruction from the English masters of these schools; and the result was tested when they went in for the South Kensington Examination, Stage I., in May last. Table I.* gives the results in detail. Thirteen passed out of 19, including (as was to have been expected) all the English masters. Four of the Chinese masters obtained a first class, and of those of them that passed, none less than a second class. Again, in October and after further preparation,

the majority of the same masters entered their names for the examination of the Royal Sanitary Institute, held locally. The results have not yet been published; but it may be doubted whether junior Chinese masters have so thorough a knowledge of English, as would enable them to express themselves with the necessary clearness and exactitude on matters involving the use of unwonted and technical terms.

NEW PUBLICATIONS.

There is a standing difficulty in some of the less advanced of our schools in persuading the teachers to confront their pupils with the facts of everyday life, and to use their own observation. I have seen an object lesson on the bamboo illustrated by a picture out of a reading book. This distaste to come face to face with realities has found some excuse in the case of the teaching of hygiene, where the presumed necessity of providing a costly and elaborate apparatus has been a deterrent from the supply of any, but after all, everyday things are those best suited to illustrate the arguments of hygiene in their bearing on everyday life. Mr. Williams, of the Victoria School, has published a number of "Experiments in With this idea, Hygiene" to accompany Dr. Pearse's Manual; and the work has proved of use.

The study of hygiene has been included in the "Model Course of Instruction for Vernacular Schools," given in Appendix C of my Annual Report for 1905; and as this course is adopted by all the Vernacular Schools that are worth anything, it may be said that the subject will soon be taught in Standards IV. and above in all Government and Grant Vernacular Schools. render the Manual into Chinese have not satisfied the critical spirit of the Registrar- Unfortunately, two attempts to General's Office: a third translation, very kindly made by the Honourable Dr. Ho Kai, C.M.G., has now been completed; the book is in the press, and will be in the hands of the masters of the Vernacular Schools immediately after China New Year.

STUDY OF THE SUBJECT IN SCHOOLS.

The subject continues to be taught in all the English and Anglo-Chinese Govern- ment and Grant Schools of the Colony, with a few unimportant exceptions. The total numbers under instruction are given in Table II.* They show a reduction as compared with last year, 1,439 to 1,524. This reduction, which has not in fact any great importance, is due partly to the closing of the Cathedral School and partly to a change in the method of classification. In some schools, where the pupils in Standard III. are very young, it is hard to say whether they are or are not under instruction in hygiene. They are present at the lectures or at some of them; but they are quite incapable of deriving advantage from a great part of the lessons in the subject. The increase of pupils under instruction in Standards VI. and VII., from 307 to 334, is on the contrary significant of a real progress.

EXAMINATION of Schools.

Progress was again tested by a competitive examination for prizes and a challenge shield, kindly offered by His Excellency the Governor. It was held on December 3rd, in the way described in my report for last year, except that the competitors for the shield, that is the teams from the junior standards, were examined at Queen's College (if boys), or at the Belilios School (if girls), and not at their own schools. The examiners were, as before, the Principal Civil Medical Officer and the Medical Officer of Health.

* Not printed.

107

The number of competitors in the Advanced Examination was 64, composed of 36 boys from five schools, and 28 girls from five schools. Last year, there were 79 competitors from 12 schools. The results were as follows

First

Equal

Third

Equal

Place.

Name.

School.

Prize

Dollars.

Lau Iu-Chung Carlos Sequeira

Wan Shuk-ching

Ellis Kadoorie School

St. Joseph's College

Belilios School

60

60

20

Chan Chiu-Yau

Diocesan School, Boys'

20

144

The French Convent did not send in any candidates for the Advanced Course this year; and Saiyingpun School could not, as it no longer takes its pupils above the equivalent of Standard V. The Cathedral School is also absent from the list,

it having been closed. St. Mary's competed for the first time.

In view of the steady preparation throughout the year and the great efforts. made by many of the schools, the examination papers, given in Appendix A.,* must be considered to be too easy completely to test the ability of the competitors. In Table III.* is given an analysis of the marks obtained by the first three competitors from each school. Eight out of 10 schools got 80 per cent, or over, and one more nearly as many. The first four schools are separated by less than a mark. Only one question received less than half marks in any of the schools. Questions III. and VII. were well answered by every school: the answers to Question I. and V., dealing with the amount of carbonic acid gas in the air, and requiring a certain neatness in drawing, respectively, were the worst done. Similar questions proved stumbling-blocks last year.

Fourteen teams entered for the Elementary Course numbering altogether 123 competitors, as compared with 10 teams and 98 competitors last year. The results

were as follows:-

First.-Diocesan School, Boys. Winners of the Shield. The best paper

done for the winning team was that of Manuel Leitao, to whom was therefore awarded the prize of $20. But the winning school was run so close by two others, the Italian Convent and the Belilios School, that His Excellency decided to give special prizes of $20 for the best papers in their teams. These fell to Alice Brandt, of the Italian Convent, and to Flora Rosario, of the Belilios School. The marks obtained and other details are given in Table IV.* The three best teams get over 70 per cent., a figure which was not reached by any school fast year.

On the other hand, the last five schools did badly,

so far as the figures show. But of these, Fairlea could hardly be expected to shine in a test of this severe nature. Wantsai's fall from

the high place it took last year is lamentable. It should, however, be said that a great many boys left that school for Queen's College at the end of the summer term, with the result that what was practically a new team had to be got together. The positions held by the Ellis Kadoorie School in the Advanced and Elementary Examinations reflect the comparative weakness of the lower classes, as I have pointed out in my Annual Report on that school. Yaumati has risen from the last of the three District Schools to the first. The schools which, when the smallness of their fields of selection are considered in conjunction with the immaturity of their pupils, have in my opinion most distinguished themselves, are the Belilios School, the Anglo-Portu- guese School (a new competitor) and St. Stephen's School, also a new competitor and one where the whole of the Staff is Chinese. In the case of the latter school I stretched a point, and did not insist on a full team of 10 being sent in, even though there were boys under instruction available to fill it. In all other cases a shortage of pupils

• Not printed.

20098

C 2