1. Pr
9. It may not be out of place in this Report to allude to the admission into the school of boys other than Chinese. When the school was first made open to all, of whatever nationality, a few availed themselves of the privilege. They remained but a short time. They were evidently disappoint Their expectations and objections will be referred to presently. I am aware that many are anxious for admission, but they hold back until the terms they dictate be acceded to.
10. By opening the school to all-comers, it was apparently expected that a special class would be formed for such as do not wish to learn Chinese. Others, who do not object to learning Chinese, object to the school-liours. They say that eight hours a-day is too hard a task on the energies of the boys.. Others, again, are exclusive, and wish their children to be kept entirely separate from the Chinese.
11. For a boy to come to the school and not to learn Chinese, it is simply a waste of time. There must be some common language as a medium of intercommunication between the teacher and his class. Nine-tenths of the class are, and will be, Chinese. Translation from English into Chinese and from Chinese into English must therefore be the ground-work of the instruction, and, in the lower classes especially, the principal part of it. The mere reading of an English book will not, without a great waste of time, give the reader a knowledge of the language. The sooner he understands what he reads the better for his
For this reason, it is indispensable that every boy at the Central School should learn Chinese. Even an English boy, who understands what he reads, loses a great deal of time. When translation is the work of the class he must sit idle unless he knows Chinese.
progress.
12. The school-hours are confessedly long, and if it were possible to curtail them it would be done. Practically this is impossible. Two languages have to be learnt, one at least of which is very difficult of acquirement by those to whom it is their mother-tongue. After eight years' experience, and after listening to many objections, I am only the more convinced that shorter hours are not con- sistent with the efficiency of the school.
13. To those who wish a separate class and class-room, only one thing can be said. The Central School is no place for them. This is not said from any want of sympathy with those who prefer the inoral to the mental training of their children. Their objections are well known and felt to be powerful. But, the practical conduct of the school is the problem to be solved and, with that, exclusiveness is inconsistent. At the same time, if it were my province to say so, I should not hesitate to say, that contact with the Chinese boys at this school would not be productive of half the harm to which children are constantly exposed by being left, as they are, so much in the hands of Chinese servants. This is a subject, however, which cannot be discussed further here.
14. There are now six Indian boys, principally Parsees, in the school. These make no objections to learning Chinese, and some of them acquire it rapidly. One of them carried off the first prize in the fourth class, which numbers thirty-four, although two of the subjects of examination, subjects, too, with the highest marks, were translation. How such boys could advance at all for a few years, without a knowledge of Chinese, it is not possible to imagine."
15. The conclusion to be derived from a consideration of the whole question is this, that unless the school is to be re-organized, to be, in a measure, diverted from the original and important purpose for which it was founded, and to be conducted at many times its present cost, it is impossible to make it acceptable to those who will not take it as it is.
16. The state of the Village Schools needs, this year, no special consideration. What they are and how they are conducted, how they advance, and how they fall-off, with the reasons for this, as far as they can be assigned, are points which have been too frequently mentioned to require repetition. The system of Grants-in-aid, instead of complete support, is slowly advancing. Three such schools were added during the year, the one at Ap-li Chau receiving a free site, and those at Hung-hòin and To-kwa Wán the usual allowance of five dollars a month. For all other information I refer the following Tables.
The Honourable J. GARDINER AUSTIN,
Colonial Secretary,
$o..
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Otnil Tables
TABLE 1
NUMBER SCHOLARS taught in the Government Schools during 1860, and Expense of each School.
GIRLS.
2. Ap-li Chan,
1. Aberdeen,.
3. Bowrington,
4. Central School,
6. Girls' School,
* 6. Hung-hôm Trin,
* 7. Little Hongkong, * 8. Ma-t'an T's'in,.
*9. Mong-kok Ts'ün,.
10. Shán-ki Wáo,
Boys.
20
68
320
20
24
26
20
11. Stanley,
84
12. Tang-ling Chau, (H.),
24
13. Tang-lung Chan, (P.),
34
*14. Tó-kwa Wán,
18
15. Webster's Crescent,.
35
33
53
61
21
830
16. West End,
17. West Point, (II.),
18. West Point, (P.),
19. Wong-nai Chung,
TOTAL.
EXPENSE.
Be
4
24
124.00
972.00
320
9,007.58
507.00
45.00
63.00
66.00
64.00
121.00
34
391.00
125.00
149.00
27.41
324.00
267.00
247.00
247.00
123.00
$12,189.94
* : 12 : : : : : mama :*:2
103
788888888882988852
NOTE.-H. Hak-ka. P.Pun-ti. *These Schools receive Grants-in-aid. + Free site.
TABLE II.
Outlay for 1860,
Deduct Fees from Scholars at Central School,
Total,
1, Average Expense of each Scholar at the Governquent Schools,
2,
"
"}
**
"
3,
}}
>>
J:
"}
Central School,... Village Schools,.
$12,180.94
1,541.95
+$10,647.99
.811.30
.$23.33
.8 5.12
392
NOTE.Item 2 shdd perhaps be two dollars less, and item 3 one dollar more. The Head Master of the Central School being also Inspector of
Schools, part of his Salary should be charged against the Village Schools.
you to
1. Aberdeen,
12. Ap-Ji Châu,.
3. Bowrington,
4. Central School,
TABLE III.
AVERAGE ENROLMENT and ATTENDANCE at the Government Schools for 1869.
Your most obedient Servant,
FREDERICK STEWART, Inspector of Government Schools.
5. Girls' School,
6. Hung-ho Ts'ün,
7. Little Hongkong,
8. Ma-t'au Ts'ün,
9. Mong-kok Ts'ün,
1. Shachi Wán
11. Stanley,
12. Tang-lung Chau, (H.),
18. Tang-lung Chau, (P.),
14. Tó-kwa Wan,..
15. Webster's Crescent,
16. West End,
17. West Point, (H.),
18. West Point, (P.),
12. Wong-nai Ching,
Average Enrolment.
Average
Attendance.
14
9
71
888888438932 |
218
44
20
25
17
30
18
50
=======2373263532
0
D
61
38
14
18
21
10
12
24
17
24
15
28
21
46
10
14
718
610
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