1841-1886
REPORTS EXHIBITING THE PRESENT STATE
and others of the community would add greatly to their kindness by coming and making personal experience of what the boys can or cannot do. It is matter of regret that while so many give liberally, so few care to come and judge of the school for themselves. This is not said from any desire to parade the school, than which nothing could be more distasteful; but it is not unnatural to wish that the public knew exactly what an institution is worth which needs so large a sum of the public money for its support.
19. The Village Schools, which are free schools supported entirely by Government, are twelve in number. They stand in the following order of efficiency, as tested by an examination of each school :
1. Stanley.
2. Sai-ying P'ún (Pún-ti).
3. Girls' School.
4. Bowrington.
5. Sai-ying P'ún (Hak-ka).
6. Wobstor's Crescent.
7. Tang-lung Chau (Punti),
8. Aberdeen.
9. West End.
10. Tang-lung Chou (Hak-ka).
11. Wong nai Chung
12. Shau-ki Wán,
20. These, as has been said in previous Reports, are Chinese schools, pure and simple. Chinese books alone are used, and the mode of instruction is such as would be found in any native village school in China. But this has been too often noticed to need repetition.
385
21. The great aim in the supervision of these schools is to see that what is taught is taught methodically and well, that regularity, and especially punctuality, be attended to, and that cleanliness be not forgotten. It would perhaps be difficult to fix any precise amount of improvement from one year to another; but, on looking back over the last nine years, evidences of progress are not wanting. The Chinese are very slow to appreciate anything which is not precisely as they are accustomed to it, and in nothing is their conservatism so apparent as in education. Foreigners may know something of other matters, especially if they have reference to trade, but, in the matter of education, the dullest villager and the most ignorant boat-woman loudly proclaim their superiority, without the slightest suspicion of its being questioned. They know exactly what books their children are to read, and when and how they are to be read, the opinion of all foreigners to the contrary notwithstanding.
22. The school buildings are good and suitable, except those at Bowrington and Stanley. I had hoped to see these two reappear on the estimates. A new school-house at Stanley is greatly needed, but one at Bowrington is an absolute necessity, as has been pointed out on previous occasions. The number of scholars taught at the school during the year was 92. The highest number on the roll, on any one month, was 76, the lowest, 56, and 63 was the average for the year. Yet this large number has to be accommodated in the upper floor of a small, low-roofed, ill-ventilated Chinese house. I cannot forego this opportunity of once more calling the attention of the Government to the necessity of proceeding with the erection of the proposed school-house at Bowrington.
23. Three masters died in the course of the year—those at Shau-ki Wán, at the Hak-ka school at Tang-lung Chau, and at the
1841-1886
REPORTS EXHIBITING THE PRESENT STATE
and others of the community would add greatly to their kindness by coming and making personal experience of what the boys can or cannot do. It is matter of regret that while so many give liberally, so few care to come and judge of the school for themselves. This is not said from any desire to parade the school, than which nothing could be more distasteful; but it is not unnatural to wish that the public knew exactly what an institution is worth which needs so large à sum of the public money for its support.
19. The Village Schools, which are free schools supported entirely by Government, are twelve in number. They stand in the following order of efficiency, as tested by an examination of each school :---
1. Stanley.
2. Sai-ying P'ún (Pún-ti).
3. Girls' School.
4. Bowrington.
5. Sai-ying P'ún (Hak-ka).
6. Wobstor's Crescent.
7. Tang-lung Chau (Punti),
8. Aberdeen.
9. West End.
10. Tang-lung Chou (Hak-ka). 11. Wong nai Chung
12. Shuzki Wán,
20. These, as has been said in previous Reports, are Chinese schools, pure and simple. Chinese books alone are used, and the mode of instruction is such as would be found in any native village school in China. But this has been too often noticed to need repe- tition.
385
21. The great aim in the supervision of these schools is to see that what is taught is taught methodically and well, that regularity, hud especially punctuality, be attended to, and that cleanliness be not forgotten. It would perhaps be difficult to fix any precise amount of improvement from one year to another; but, on looking back over the last nine years, evidences of progress are not wanting. The Chinese are very slow to appreciate anything which is not precisely as they are accustomed to it, and in nothing is their conservatism so apparent as in education. Foreigners may know something of other matters, especially if they have reference to trade, but, in the matter of education, the dullest villager and the most ignorant boat-woman loudly proclaim their superiority, without the slightest suspicion of its being questioned. They know exactly what books their children are to road, and when and how they are to be read, the opinion of all foreigners to the contrary notwithstanding.
22. The school buildings are good and suitable, except those at Bowrington and Stanley. I had hoped to see these two reappear on the estimates. A new school-house at Stanley is greatly needed, but one at Bowrington is an absolute necessity, as has been pointed out on previous occasions. The number of scholars taught at the school during the year was 92. The highest number on the roll, on any one month, was 76, the lowest, 56, and 63 was the average for the year. Yet this large number has to be accommodated in the upper floor of a small, low-roofed, ill-ventilated Chinese house. I cannot forego this opportunity of once, more calling the attention of the Government to the necessity of proceeding with the erection of the proposed school-house at Bowrington.
23. Three masters died in the course of the year-those at Sháu-ki Wán, at the Hak-ka school at Tang-lung Chan, and at the
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