CO129-192 - Governor Hennessy - 1881 [1-4] — Page 640

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輔翼中館之法

教

學以使貧家子弟有進初學之機更當大度畧裁規條而用學某歎課領某款賞之 法以獎賞闔港∶館大館所有各書塑最妙莫如效埃國於一千八百七十八年 右

學之列時所助者只教華文之義學茲則推廣規條不但中館卽大館書院均可准 家義學之法使彼實有公平之基卽使凡有國家義學成如現在國家察理之各義 環之間工者流獲値似亦不賤况華文書塾修金頗兼故於教習華文一 院意見如此删改輔翼義學之規條實爲大路進步之階所云大路者即改香港國 值無多而教師修金頗貴故彼工人所入難供子弟就學之費惟在香港五 領獎賞且如此推廣規條之意自應增益各歎獎賞之費此亦理所當然者桉敝監 然以英官而教華文或兼教英文華文者則大異按在英國僱工人殺獲 有初學一語删除尤爲切要因自立輔翼義學規條直至聖保羅書院初入輔翼義 法之一如英國無異論及英國教法情事可云用物者未足品評是物之 書教徒一事較爲方便且與國家不涉聖會事宜之定法亦無滯礙釵將規條内 最後更欲陳明一事倘思若何修改香港教法一端所最要者勿翮香港教 事國家似亦無庸關涉蓋華人自是以華人之道理教法爲囂者₩此須至

官教英文者則無不合故教英文乃國家在本港所可備與居民者此固宜 精微要之此語爲英官在極多華民之藩地欲教華文者似爲未合而為英

値然官

但

*secular instruction" there has been substituted the phrase "instruction in the subjects of the standards," which alteration, whilst removing conscientious scruples of denominational Educa- tionists, did not affect the vital principle of the Grant-in-aid System, viz., payment for results in

specified subjects. It gives. moreover, greater fram to the Managers in the selection of books without compromising the attitude of the Govern- ment as regards the principle of non-interference in religious matters. The elimination from the Schedule of the word “ elementary" is a matter of the highest importance. The Grant-in-wil Scheme. hitherto or rather until the time when St. Paul's College first came under the Grant-in- aid System, was confined to aid native elementary education. Now, however, it is open to further development in the direction of admitting not only intermediate but high class educational in- Itions to the benefits of the Grant-in-aid

system and by making this alteration in the scope of the scheme the necessity of enlarging the value lof the

passes is involved as a natural consequence, I see in this alteration of the Grant-in-aid Scheme a step in the right direction towards placing the Educational Policy of the Colonial Government

on a thoroughly sound and equitable busis, viz., the aim to confine all direct teaching, such as is now given in schools kept at the entire expense

and under the exclusive control of the Govern-

ment, to the Elementary English education of the poor classes, but to give increased aid with fewer

in specified subjects to the middle schools and bigh class schools of the Colony, more or less in the manner indicated by the Intermediate Edu- uation Act (Ireland) of 1878.

restrictions on the principle of payment by results

8. In conclusion I beg to point out that in ponsidering the Educational Problem of this Co- lony, it is all important to refrain from assuming

In

an identity of the radical features of the problem as it presents itself here and in England. England it may be said regarding matters of Education that the consumer is not a competent

judge of the commodity," but this principle does pot apply to the purely Chinese education at- tempted by an English Government of a Colony he overwhelming majority of which is made up by Chinese; though this principle does indeed pply to the teaching of English, and hence it

ollows that English education is one of those hings in Hongkong which it is admissible in rinciple that a Government should provide for he people. As regards purely Chinese teaching r Chinese teaching combined with English the ase is entirely different. Whilst in England the ommon wages of unskilled labour are too low nd the cost of teaching too high to enable an rdinary unskilled labourer to pay the whole ost of elementary instruction for his children, he wages of unskilled labour are comparatively p high here in town and the cost of Chinese aching so low, that Government interference in je matter of Chinese teaching is entirely uncall- I for, especially as the Chinese place an extre- ely high esteein on their own systein and method education. --I have the honour to be, Sir, your jost obedient Servant,

E. J. EITEL, Inspector of Schools.

輔右

中陳者

輔政使司

使申

馬陳

教因耳 法彼且 欧地恐 國 欲有國 家

善人 於 豬

及 致 國 也 意 至 謂

蓋

便理

設規

若欲詳知去歲義學若何可觀後

所准

改學時

各規進

今本港仍未設有書院以育成本土人欲肩英文教師之任者故欲得確善誘人之教師則不得已動用多費請自英國來 能爲愈於國家者爭衡則數年前早已不勝本土人能教英文且善於教及樂於教而所用修俸亦不若是之奢也爭奈迄 立一院以育成本土人欲肩英文教師之任者且多設初學英文書塾义不此只教華文之義學以與本土人所樂爲所 内開各欸一句如此改易則聖會 載後或因病請假藉等情所有盤川亦由國家支給故也個國家在本港創教英文時只專教英文並不兼教華文叉 學二語即將世俗二字删除添入 知顚末 監院亦欲陳明教習英文費用極奢之故實因英人教師請自英國來盤川不少另其修俸周歲不下三百磅數 者是廢除規條内所有世俗及初 儒教所有教法固有善於彼者論及國家各義學所有費用若干與及獎賞各聖會義學之項若干請看下附數目等圖便 現率 藩政大臣准改各款最要 輔翼義學因彼地瘠人稀無力所致也至在五環專教華文之國家義學按徹監院意見非徒無益而又害之蓋華人自理 及去歲所改輔翼義學規條若何 諸多煩瑣耳且恐國家涉其教法蓋意謂彼知教華文之法愈於國家所可知惟在村鄉籬落之人極樂國家在彼設立 一千八百七十九年時進退若何 塾者未嘗騎戰國家輔助卽諭知准領國家獎賞之項彼亦未協於心非謂不樂受國恩所不樂者乃國家賞給義學規條 附一片在該片可見國家義學於 此外又有要者卽教學所需經費如或專教華文所費甚濂故土人儒教之散館學館義學港内在在均有且掌理如此

由此觀之則國家教法必須易轍較爲顯然

條本資桉學成某歎之課卽領某 歎之賞如此則各聖會牧師於選

牧師於心無所嫌疑且亦無傷規

6. Another question of great importance is the cost of lucation. Puuely native teaching is ex- tremely cheap. The consequence is that purely

native Confucian Schools, public and private,

abound all over the Colony. Their managers ask for no grant from Government and even decline

to apply for it when invited. They would not; hesitate to take the money of the Government, but they object to the trammels of the Grant-in- aid Schedule and fear interference with the method

of teaching, believing, as they do, that they know

better how to teach Chinese than a foreign Gov.

ernment can possibly know. In the smaller

villages and hamlets of the Colony alone the

people are glad to have the advantages of the

Graut-in-aid Scheme because their poverty does

not allow them, with their small number of

families, to establish schools of their own as they

would otherwise prefer to do. But in the town

all purely Chinese schools kept by the Govern-

ment. are, in my opinion, not only uncalled for

but compete injuriously with native self-help in Confucianist education without giving really a better education. For details as to the cost of the Government Schools and the amount of aid given to Grant-in-aid Schools I refer to the tables

appended to this Report. But I wish to point out that the costly nature of English teaching princi- pally consists of the salaries of English Masters

who have to be imported from England, who require free passage out, a salary of at least £300, and after some years a passage back to England

on furlough or sick certificate. Had the Govern-

ment, when first beginning to teach English in this Colony, confined itself to English teaching.

instead of combining it with Chinese, and esta-

blished a training school for native teachers of English, creating at the same time a demand for

such teachers by opening Elementary English

schools instead of purely Chinese schools all over

the Colony and thereby needlessly competing

with the natives in what they were willing enough

to do themselves and what after all they do better

than the Government can do, there would long

ago have been furnished a supply of natives able to teach English effectively and willing to teach

it at very moderate salaries. Even now

Do

training school exists in the Colony and conse-

quently almost all English teaching in the Colony

that is really effective has to be provided for by procuring the teaching power at great cost from England. A revision of the whole Educational Policy of the Government is clearly needed.

7. Detailed information as to the changes which have taken place last year in the constitution of the Education Department will be found in the Supplements* annexed to this Report. To the same Supplements I also refer for detailed iu- formation as to the progress made by the outside Government Schools in the course of the year 1879, and as regards the revision of the Grant- in-aid Schedule. This revision, us far as approverd at present by the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies, consisted principally in the expurgation from the Schedule of the words ** secular and “elenmentary." For the words

→ These Supplements, being reprints from the Government Gazette, are not re-published here but will be inserted in Blue Book.