8. The two schools at Sai Ying-p'un suffered severely by their removal. The building had to be handed over,
in a pressing emergency, to the Medical Department. Temporary socommodation was provided as near as possible to the old site, and a new school-house was to be built in the course of few months; but the delay in building the new hospital has prevented the erection of the new school and the falling off referred to is partly accounted for. These native schools require the most delicate handling. Circumstances which of themselves need hardly affect any school, have often serious consequences to them, as was pointed out when the old building had to be handed over.
16. The Basel Mission has now three schools under its management, namely, the Shán-kí Wán School, and the Girls', School and the Boys' School at Sai Ying-p'un. They occupy the fourth, twelfth and fourteenth places on the list. The two new ones have made a good beginning, the Shau-ki Wán School especially so. The scholars presented at it were only in the first standard; but the work was so well done that, if regular attendance can but be secured, the school is sure to prosper. The master of the Boys' School was not so successful as he might have been, if he had less self-confidence. The result of the examination was rather disappointing, but no one now sees where the defect lies more The Girls' School clearly than the master himself, and this is a good guarantee for amendment. 9. The Aberdeen School remains in a very unsatisfactory state. It made some advance towardiced four per cent. in the number of passes over the previous year. The school would have taken the end of the year; but any improvement in it has hitherto proved so fallacious that no hope can ha grounded upon it. It seems a great pity to abandon the experiment of introducing English into the Village Schools, but it is evidently not wanted by the people, and they have the power of enforcing their opinion by leaving the school comparatively empty.
10. More detailed information concerning those schools will be found in the Tables that form Appendix I. These have been compiled with the view of showing with all possible accuracy the exact state in which the schools are, as far as this can be shown by statistics. In Table IV. an attempt has been made to calculate with more precision than formerly the average cost of each scholar at the Government Schools. Hitherto the Central School has been debited with all the expenses of the Department except the actual sums paid in salaries, rent, and prizes to the Village Schools. It is obvious that the expense of their superintendence should be charged against these schools; and this has now been done, as far as the circumstances of the case will allow.
11. The Grant-in-Aid Schools are now fifteen in number, although for purposes of examination two of the Baxter Schools have still to be taken as one. Two Basel Mission Schools, one at Sai Ying p'ún for boys, and the other at Shau-ki Wán for both boys and girls, were, with the Diocesan Boue and Orphanage, admitted to a share of the Graut during the year. As already stated, these school have added greatly to the number of our school children.
to
12. The amended Grant-in-Aid Scheme, which forms Appendix II. of this Report, came into operation at the end of the year. The knowledge that it was to contain more advantageous terms than the original scheme acted as a powerful stimulus to both Managers and Masters, and the results were very satisfactory. There were 159 scholars presented, as against 390 in 1876; and the passes amounted per cent., as against 77 per cent. in the previous year. In England, the average for the whole country has been a fraction less than 80 per cent. The Hongkong Schools, therefore, have gained for themselves a highly favourable position. The percentage of scholars passed, and the percentage of passes in each subject taught in the schools, will be found detailed in Tables XIV, and XV. These show that, with an exception here and there, the results reflect great credit on all concerned in the management and teaching.
13. The Baxter Schools in Sai Ying-p'un, Staunton Street, and Tái-p'ing Shan occupy the second, tenth and eleventh places on the list of Grant-in-Aid Schools. The first of these increased its number of passes by four per cent. The Staunton Street and T'ái-ping Shán Schools did not maintain their previous positions. In all the three schools greater attention is required to Geography, and in the two latter to Reading and Explanation. In other respects the work was well done, especially in the Sai Ying-p'ún School, whose only weak point was Geography.
14. The London Mission Schools made an extraordinary advance. The T'ai-p'ing Shán School had an increase of thirty-one per cent. of passes, and the Wán-tsai School of twenty-seven per cent These schools were peculiarly unfortunate in 1876, but they are now recovering lost ground. They occupy the third and eighth places on the list. The T'ai-ping Shán School, if likely to suffer at all, in danger of doing so from the superabundant energy of the master. His scholars must have bee drilled, until school and its belongings could have had little charm for them. This is not said by a of disparagement. On the contrary, it was a positive pleasure to see the efficiency of the school in the subjects of examination. At the same time, the manager will do well to guard against und severity on the part of the master. There was no attempt at disguising the fact that he rules with a rod of iron. The Wán-tsai School did not show the same efficiency as the other, but the present masteri took over the school after his predecessor had almost wrecked it by neglect of duty. There can be g doubt that, if the present master remains, the school will soon recover all it has lost.
A consider-
very high place, but for certain failures in the first and fifth standards. In the former several very young children were presented, and in the latter the teacher fully anticipated the result. able number, too, of the best scholars left for Honolulu with their parents a few weeks before the examination. In spite of these drawbacks the school produced 85 per cent. of passes in Reading, 72 per cent. in Writing, 80 per cent. in Arithmetic, 72 per cent. in Geography, and 91 per cent. in History; and a school which can do that must be admitted to be in a very efficient state.
17. The Diocesan Home and Orphanage was examined for the first time last year, and the results were very satisfactory. The school occupies the seventh place on the list. Of the 30 scholars presented, 20 passed and 4 failed. Grammar was rather weak, and Arithmetic especially so; but in Reading the percentage of passes was 97; in Writing, 90; and, in Geography, 100. These are high figures, and they show what may be expected of the institution now that the nature of the examination is fully understood. The only suggestion that need be made here is that, in the teaching of Arithmetic, the sums should, as a rule, be dictated to the children, and not simply copied by them from a book or the black board. It is astonishing bow awkward children are at writing the simplest numbers from dictation, when they are only accustomed to copy them from sight. When dictation is used, and the ordinary sums are varied with such as are calculated to draw out and exercise the reasoning powers of the scholars, Arithmetic is a valuable means of training; but, when it is allowed to be purely mecha- nical, so to speak, its advantage is doubtful.
very
18. St. Paul's College School holds the sixth place among these schools. It had two European masters last year, instead of one, as formerly; and the advantage of this was clearly seen in the results passes in all the of the examination. Nearly 90 per cent. of the scholars passed, and the percentage of subjects was very high. The total number of scholars taught during the year was 135, and the average daily attendance was 74. In both these respects the school stands very much higher than it did in 1876. This school is well conducted in every way. The discipline and appliances leave nothing to be desired.
19. The Victoria Schools occupy the fifth and thirteenth places on the list, the Girls' School taking the precedence. In the Boys' School, Reading, Grammar and Geography stood very high. Arithi- metic and Writing (from dictation) were the weak points. The latter, always a difficult subject in a foreign tongue, needs very careful attention. The Girls' School is admirably taught. Upwards of 90 per cent. of the scholars passed, and the percentage of passes in the various subjects was as follows: Reading, 95 per cent.; Writing (from dictation), 90 per cent.; Arithmetic, 76 per cent.; Geography, There is much careful work in these two schools, and they per cent.; and Grammar, 100 per cent. deserve every encouragement.
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20. The School Book Committee's Series is rapidly advancing in public estimation. Several of the Missions in various parts of China have introduced the books into their schools, and speak highly of them. The second edition of the Primer and First Book is nearly exhausted, and the Second Book will also have to be reprinted. The Committee will soon be in a position to undertake a thorough revision of the whole series; and the experience which is now being gained of its merits and defects will be of great assistance to them when they resume their work once more.
15. The two St. Stephen's Schools occupy the first and ninth places on the list. The Sai Ying p'ún School had been admirably taught. Composition was the only weak point, and that subject will require the master's best attention. In all other respects the results were very satisfactory. Expla nation had been most carefully attended to, every scholar examined in it passing well. The Tai-ping Shán School is a large school well taught. No school presented so many children for examination; and, with the exception of some weakness in Explanation and in Composition, few of the schools gained The Honourable J. GARDINER AUSTIN, C.M.G., higher percentages in the subjects of examination. The manager's attention has been directed to the advantages that would accrue from the use of black boards in some of the branches of the school work, and, when these are provided and judiciously used, there will be still higher results in these two schools.
I have the honour to he,
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
Colonial Secretary,
gr.
FREDERICK STEWART, Inspector of Schools.
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