This School remains, however, still to be remedied, viz., the irregularity of attendance on the part of the Portuguese scholars. Now, since the number of school days has been brought up to a satisfactory standard, the blame for failures in making up the 200 daily attendances required by the Code rests almost entirely with the parents of the children. The College itself suffers severely under this apathy of the parents, as out of 342 boys on the roll of St. Joseph's College in 1882, only 158 could be allowed to compete at the examination for the annual grant, which is paid by the Government on the basis of a minimum of 200 daily attendances during the year.
13. The Victoria Schools suffered, in the boys' division, a considerable decrease in the number of scholars attending this School, but the Tables appended to this Report will show that the efficiency of the teaching given in both divisions, that for girls and that for boys, has but slightly decreased as compared with the very high standard obtained in former years. As many as 94.74 per cent. of the scholars passed in 1882 in the girls' division and 86.66 per cent. in the boys' division.
14. The Italian Sisters are beginning to come to the front in their efforts for the improvement of the standard of education formerly available by the Portuguese community. In the Bridges Street Poor Schools as many as 91.66 per cent. of the children passed, being an increase of 52.77 per cent. over the result of the first year's examination. In the Italian Convent School, which has been examined for the first time and was accordingly under considerable disadvantages, as many as 86.48 per cent. of the children passed. The Portuguese division in St. Francis' School has also been highly successful, but the English division of the same School is too poorly attended to do credit to the excellency of the teaching of the Italian Sisters.
15. The Hongkong Public School has evidently been much improved by the present Master, as the general range of intelligence displayed by the boys, and the excellent method and discipline of this School amply testified. I have also above referred to the praiseworthy addition of extra subjects included in the programme of this School in 1882. But as the increase in the work of the School was not accompanied by a proportionate increase of time devoted to schooling, the result has been disappointing as far as a mere pass examination is concerned. Although, out of 4 boys, 3 boys passed in Euclid, 2 boys in geology and 2 in physical geography, yet only 2 passes could be counted for a grant in these extra-subjects, as there were failures in the ordinary subjects (arithmetic and geography). These details will explain the decrease of 7.15 per cent. in the passes obtained by the School, but I must further mention that, in my opinion, the boys did not do justice either to themselves or to their Master because, having been separately examined by the Manager of the School for the purpose of the annual prize giving but a few days before the Government examination, the boys saw no immediate purpose served by a renewed examination and did not work, therefore with a will when examined once more. It is but due to the Master, of whose efficiency I have the highest opinion, that I should mention these facts.
16. The vernacular Grant-in-Aid Schools in Class I of the Code, which give a Chinese education, combined with Christian teaching, in the Chinese language, call for no individual remarks, as the results of the examinations are sufficiently illustrated by the details which will be found in the Tables appended to this Report. I may allude, however to some points of general interest.
17. When referring, in my last Annual Report, to certain evil tendencies arising from some of the provisions of the Grant-in-Aid Scheme, I ought to have also pointed out, at the same time, that, whatever evil tendencies are called forth, for instance, by the high personal bonus paid to Masters of Schools in Class I, the good effect which these same provisions exercise may be considered as more than counterbalancing the mercenary spirit and the subterfuges arising among Chinese Masters through the system of payment by results which forms the quintessence of the Code. Falsification of the daily attendance roll, which is one of the commonest subterfuges adopted by that mercenary spirit alive among the Chinese Masters, will be effectually checked to a great extent by enforcing the rule which years past has been enforced in the Government Schools of the Colony, viz. that the daily attendance roll should be filled up punctually at 11 A.M. and that the slightest deviation from this regulation be treated as a serious breach of order and unsparingly visited with a fine. I found last year that some of the Chinese Masters in Grant-in-Aid Schools persisted in filling up the daily attendance roll during the recess for the noon-day meal, making it thereby impossible for me to detect one special form of falsification of the roll, whether I inspected a school in the forenoon or in the afternoon.
18. From premature applications made, at the close of the year 1882, by some Chinese Masters for new schools to be opened in 1883, I obtained renewed proof of the tendency existing among Chinese Masters to take advantage of the liberality of the Grant-in-Aid Scheme for the furtherance of private purposes. They sought to secure a promise on the part of the Government to receive, under the provisions of the Code, Schools which profess to be bona fide public Schools but which are in reality private Schools intended for private emolument.
19. As a curious illustration of the continued prevalence of kidnapping practices in Hongkong, I may mention that I noticed in 1882 several cases in which Chinese girls, living at a great distance from school and having to traverse on their way to and from school the most crowded portion of the town, were dressed like boys and attended Girls-schools in boys' dress.
20. I enclose the usual Tables, I to XVI, containing the Educational Statistics for the year 1882.
I have the honour to be
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
E. J. EITEL, PH.D.,
Inspector of Schools.
The Honourable F. STEWART, LL.D.
Acting Colonial Secretary.
!
this School remains, however, still to be remedied, viz., the irregularity of attendance on the part of the Portuguese scholars. Now, since the number of school days has been brought up to a satisfactory standard, the blame for failures in making up the 200 daily attendances required by the Code rests almost entirely with the parents of the children. The College itself suffers severely under this apathy of the parents, as out of 342 boys on the roll of St. Joseph's College in 1882, only 158 could be allowed to compete at the examination for the annual grant, which is paid by the Government on the basis of a minimum of 200 daily attendances during the year.
13. The Victoria Schools suffered, in the boys' division, a considerable decrease in the number of scholars attending this School, but the Tables appended to this Report will show that the efficiency of the teaching given in both divisions, that for girls and that for boys, has but slightly decreased as compared with the very high standard obtained in former years. As many as 94.74 per cent. of the scholars passed in 1882 in the girls' division and 86.66 per cent. in the boys' division.
14. The Italian Sisters are beginning to come to the front in their efforts for the improvement of the standard of education formerly available by the Portuguese community. In the Bridges Street Poor Schools as many as 91.66 per cent. of the children passed, being an increase of 52.77 per cent. over the result of the first year's examination. In the Italian Convent School, which has been examined for the first time and was accordingly under considerable disadvantages, as many as 86.48 per cent. of the children passed. The Portuguese division in St. Francis' School has also been highly successful, but the English division of the same School is too poorly attended to do credit to the excellency of the teaching of the Italian Sisters.
15. The Hongkong Public School has evidently been much improved by the present Master, as the general range of intelligence displayed by the boys, and the excellent method and discipline of this School amply testified. I have also above referred to the praiseworthy addition of extra subjects included in the programme of this School in 1882. But as the increase in the work of the School was not accompanied by a proportionate increase of time devoted to schooling, the result has been disappointing as far as a mere pass examination is concerned. Although, out of 4 boys, 3 boys passed in Euclid, 2 boys in geology and 2 in physical geography, yet only 2 passes could be counted for a grant in these extra-subjects, as there were failures in the ordinary subjects (arithmetic and geography). These details will explain the decrease of 7.15 per cent. in the passes obtained by the School, but I must further mention that, in my opinion, the boys did not do justice either to them- selves or to their Master because, having been separately examined by the Manager of the School for the purpose of the annual prize giving but a few days before the Government examination, the boys saw no immediate purpose served by a renewed examination and did not work, therefore with a will when examined once more. It is but due to the Master, of whose efficiency I have the highest opinion, that I should mention these facts.
16. The vernacular Grant-in-Aid Schools in Class I of the Code, which give a Chinese education, combined with Christian teaching, in the Chinese language, call for no individual remarks, as the results of the examinations are sufficiently illustrated by the details which will be found in the Tables appended to this Report. I may allude, however to some points of general interest.
17. When referring, in my last Annual Report, to certain evil tendencies arising from some of the provisions of the Grant-in-Aid Scheme, I ought to have also pointed out, at the same time, that, whatever evil tendencies are called forth, for instance, by the high personal bonus paid to Masters of Schools in Class I, the good effect which these same provisions exercise may be considered as more than counterbalancing the mercenary spirit and the subterfuges arising among Chinese Masters through the system of payment by results which forms the quintessence of the Code. Falsification of the daily attendance roll, which is one of the commonest subterfuges adopted by that mercenary spirit alive among the Chinese Masters, will be effectually checked to a great extent by enforcing the rule which years past has been enforced in the Government Schools of the Colony, viz. that the daily attendance roll should be filled up punctually at 11 A.M. and that the slightest deviation from this regulation be treated as a serious breach of order and unsparingly visited with a fine. I found last year that some of the Chinese Masters in Grant-in-Aid Schools persisted in filling up the daily attendance roll during the recess for the noon-day meal, making it thereby impossible for me to detect one special form of falsification of the roll, whether I inspected a school in the forenoon or in the afternoon.
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18. From premature applications made, at the close of the year 1882, by some Chinese Masters for new schools to be opened in 1883, I obtained renewed proof of the tendency existing among Chinese Masters to take advantage of the liberality of the Grant-in-Aid Scheme for the furtherance of private purposes. They sought to secure a promise on the part of the Government to receive, under the provisions of the Code, Schools which profess to be bond fide public Schools but which are in reality private Schools intended for private emolument.
I
19. As a curious illustration of the continued prevalence of kidnapping practices in Hongkong, may mention that I noticed in 1882 several cases in which Chinese girls, living at a great distance from school and having to traverse on their way to and from school the most crowded portion of the town, were dressed like boys and attended, all through the year, Girls-schools in boys' dress.
20. I enclose the usual Tables, I to XVI, containing the Educational Statistics for the year 1882.
I have the honour to be
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
بعيد
The Honourable F. STEWART, LL.D.
Acting Colonial Secretary.
E. J. EITEL, PH. D.,
Inspector of Schools.
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