CO129-166 - Public Offices & Others - 1873 — Page 732

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cause of education

Roman Catholic missioners in stong kong in the cause und have admitted their just claims to assistance from the public funds.

Recently the government of Hongkong desirous of

introduring some

system into its grants for educational

purposes, proposed to the

managers of the R. C. schools that they should submit their schools to

to government inspection and receive in return an annual grant proportioned to the numbers of scholars regulurly attending & to the results of their teaching as ascertained by periodical examinations by government, cxaminers. The proposition so made was accepted by, mission, it being distinctly understood by me, from the wording

superior of the of the draft rules laid before me and;

I from my. "the officials concerned in the matter that the choice of books to be used in our schools and the arrangement of the studies was to be left entirely and absolutely

me ad

Conversation with

in the hands of the missioners. I

any

our

could not, as your Lordship well knows, have concurred in plan that took out of the hands of the Catholic managers of schools the selection of the books and the right, to regulate the subjects and methods of study.

as

The Government of Stong kong has always taken a great, interest in the education of the Chinese and has many native schools under its own immediate care, and many others, in private hands subject to its inspection and aided by its grants.

schools .

The Roman Catholic mission has also Chinese

Now the Stonghong government has recently appointed a committee to selech and tru. slate out of English into Chinese such books as will in their opinion be best suited for their use in such chinese schools, and it may

be that they will seek to extend the use of the books so selected and translated to our schools ab so far as to make them the means of testing the progress of

Chinese scholars at the examinations .