Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
COLONIAL REPORTS—ANNUAL.
College. These seven are doubtless attended by those who cannot (on account of distance or want of place) get into any of the above-named four Government schools—or who are crowded out of Queen's College, or cannot afford to pay the fees of that institution. The education given in some of these is of a very varied nature, an attempt being made to meet the special requirements of nearly every individual. The great object of boys attending these schools seems to be to get a smattering of English to enable them to get employment as shroffs, copying clerks, office boys, compositors, &c., and thus, it is feared, they must not be considered educational institutions from a proper point of view.
II.A.—Of the Government schools which give an education in Chinese only, there are now seven (three having been closed at the end of 1898), having an average daily attendance of 249.9. Some years ago, when a boy was obliged to reach a certain standard in Chinese before he could enter the Government Central School (alias Victoria College, now Queen's College) to study English, it would appear that these schools were greater in number and attended by a larger number of scholars, e.g., in 1879 there were 27 Chinese Government schools, with an attendance of 1,231 scholars for the year; whereas in the four English schools there was an attendance of only 222 scholars for the year. Since then the desire for an English education has greatly grown, and the Government now requires that English shall be taught in all new schools that are opened. In 1879, as above stated, there were only 222 scholars in the four schools in which English was taught, but in 1899 in the five schools—i.e., including the Belilios Public School for Girls—there were 886 scholars, of which 255 are girls. Again, in 1879 there were 27 Chinese Government schools, with 1,231 scholars in attendance, and in 1899 there were seven schools, with a yearly attendance of 558 scholars. The education in these Chinese schools follows somewhat on the lines of that given in an ordinary native school as far as the books used are concerned, but with a healthy leavening of a Western system.
II.B—There are 73 grant-in-aid schools, having an attendance of 3,811 scholars for the year, of whom 1,806 are boys and 2,005 girls. The books in use for these schools include some of the smaller Chinese classics, but being, like all the grant-in-aid schools, under the control of some religious sect, books compiled under the guidance of these various sects and of a religious character, are, subject to the approval of the Inspector of Schools, substituted for ordinary Chinese books.
Under this heading must be reckoned the Portuguese schools in which the Portuguese language is taught with a hope of substituting, in time, the pure language for the patois which now prevails. There are five of these schools, with an attendance of 11 boys and 143 girls for the year.
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Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
COLONIAL REPORTS—ANNUAL.
College. These seven are doubtless attended by those who cannot (on account of distance or want of place) get into any of the above-named four Government schools-or who are crowded out of Queen's College, or cannot afford to pay the fees of that institution. The education given in some of these is of a very varied nature, an attempt being made to meet the special requirements of nearly every individual. The great object of boys attending these schools seems to be to get a smattering of English to enable them to get employment as shroffs, copying clerks, office boys, compositors, &c., and thus, it is feared, they must not be considered educational institutions from a proper point of view.
II.A.-Of the Government schools which give an education in Chinese only, there are now seven (three having been closed at the end of 1898), having an average daily attendance of 249-9. Some years ago, when a boy was obliged to reach a certain standard in Chinese before he could enter the Government Central School (alias Victoria College, now Queen's College) to study English, it would appear that these schools were greater in number and attended by a larger number of scholars, e.g., in 1879 there were 27 Chinese Government schools, with an attendance of 1,231 scholars for the year; whereas in the four English schools there was an attendance of only 222 scholars for the year. Since then the desire for an English education has greatly grown, and the Government now requires that English shall be taught in all new schools that are opened. In 1879, as above stated, there were only 222 scholars in the four schools in which English was taught, but in 1899 in the five schools— e., including the Belilios Public School for Girls-there were 886 scholars, of which 255 are girls. Again, in 1879 there were 27 Chinese Government schools, with 1,231 scholars in attend- ance, and in 1899 there were seven schools, with a yearly attend- ance of 558 scholars. The education in these Chinese schools follows somewhat on the lines of that given in an ordinary native school as far as the books used are concerned, but with a healthy leavening of a Western system.
II.B-There are 73 grant-in-aid schools, having an attendance of 3,811 scholars for the year, of whom 1,806 are boys and 2,005 girls. The books, in use for these schools include some of the smaller Chinese classics, but being, like all the grant-in-aid schools, under the control of some religious sect, books, compiled under the guidance of these various sects and of a religious character, are, subject to the approval of the Inspector of Schools, substituted for ordinary Chinese books.
Under this heading must be reckoned the Portuguese schools in which the Portuguese language is taught with a hope of sub- stituting, in time, the pure language for the patois which now prevails. There are five of these schools, with an attendance of 11 boys and 143 girls for the year.
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