82
Ac-
6. In educational matters the case of Hongkong is on all fours with the case of India, and therefore the educational principles and methods, which in the course of the last thirty-five years have commended themselves as practically sound and beneficial to the Government of India, deserve every attention in shaping the edu- cational policy of the Hongkong Government. In 1854 the education of the whole people of India (excluding no one class) was definitely accepted as a State duty and the famous Despatch of 1854, which still forms the charter of Education in India, laid it down that "English is to be taught wherever there is a demand for it, but it is not to be substituted for the vernacular languages of the country." cordingly the Government of India not only established Departmental Schools for girls as well as for boys wherever there was the smallest demand for English teach- ing, but liberally aided and encouraged Missionary Societies in promoting public and private (Zenana) instruction, in English, given to native girls. Accordingly we find among the recommendations made, after the most careful and wide-reaching investigations, by the Indian Education-Commission, the following Resolution (§ 682, No. 1), "that female education be treated as a legitimate charge alike on Local, on Municipal, and on Provincial Funds, and receive special encouragement,” and further (§ 682, No. 9) "that liberal aid he offered for the establishment, in suitable localities, of Girls' Schools in which English should be taught in addition to the vernacular.'
7. In view of the above considerations and encouraged by the Minute (on C.S.D. 393 of 1889) in which His Excellency the Governor stated, with reference to my last Annual Report, that he will be prepared to consider, in connection with the Estimates for 1890, my recommendations with regard to a Girls' School, I now beg formally to recommend that measures be taken at once with a view to start, on 1st March, 1890, a Government Girls' School, offering to girls of all nationalities an elementary English or Anglo-Chinese education ou the principles of the Govern- ment Central School (now Victoria. College). The details of the scheme will be subject to the special consideration of the Government, as they practically come to the surface hereafter, but the general outlines of the scheme now subin tied for the approval of the Government are as follow.
8. As to House accommodation it is absolutely essential that the School be located in a central part of the town, because for various reasons Chinese girls could not be induced to go to school if the building were situated in an out-of-the- way locality. It is further essential for sanitary reasons that the School-house be of the European style of architecture. Eventually a building, specially to be de- signed for the purposes of a School, will have to be erected, but, to begin with, a house built in the European style and situated in a central part of the town might be utilized, until a proper School-building can be secured. The house to be rented for the present would also afford quarters for the Head-mistress, and her Assistant Teacher.
9. The Head-mistress should be obtained from England, under the approval of the Secretary of State. She should be a trained, certificated, unmarried English lady, not less than 22 and not over 28 years of age. She should possess experience in teaching, organizing or superintending elementary Girls' Schools, have a superior knowledge of needle-work and enjoy good health.
Her duties should be, to organize the proposed Girls' School with the aid of an Assistant Teacher and a Pupil Teacher, to instruct the upper classes of the English division of the School in the subjects of an ordinary English Middle Class School, to superintend the teaching to be given by the Assistant Teacher and Pupil Teacher in the lower classes of the English division, also to give general superintendence to the Chinese division of the School consisting of the already existing two Chinese Girls' Schools at present located in separate Chinese houses. Finally it should be a special duty incumbent on the Head-mistress. to assist the Inspector of Schools in the annual examinations of the needle-work done in the Grant-in-Aid Schools of the Colony.
The terms to be offered to such a Head-mistress should be as follow:-First- class passage paid to Hongkong, but no subsequent passage paid, unless the engagement terminate at or (through illness) before the end of three years; sulary to be 1,200 Mexican dollars per anunt, payable monthly; quarters provided; twelve months' leave (if substitute can be found) at the end of six years' service, viz., 4 months on full pay and 8 months on half pay; study of Chinese language (colloquial only) to be obligatory, but teacher provided by Government and
pro-
gress tested by half-yearly examinations through examiners specially to be ap- The Head-mistress should leave pointed for the purpose by the Government. England in the first week of January, 1890, drawing half-pay from the day of leaving England and full pay from the day of her arrival in Hongkong.
10. The expenses involved in the above scheme and requiring special consi- deration in connection with the Estimates for 1890, are as under
Passage to Hongkong to be paid through Crown Agents........$ 400.00 Salary of Head-inistress, 1 month half pay ($50) and 2 months'
full pay @ $100,.
House rent, 12 months @ $115.
Furniture for School rooms,.
School materials,
Salary of Assistant Teacher, 10 months @ $25,
Pupil Teacher, 10 months @ $5,...
Wages of coolie, 12 months @ 86,
Wages of Scavenger 10 months @ $2,
Total estimated expenses,.
$ 1,150.00
$ 1,380.00
$ 100.00
50.00
.$ 250.00
50.00
72.00
20.00
.$ 8,472.00
As I expect the School will, during the first year, have at least 50 scholars
in the English Division, paying each $1 a month as School fees, I estimate that, in the 10 months, the school fees will amount to at least $100. In the Chinese Division I propose to charge no fees, according to previous custom.
I have the honour to be,
The Honourable F. STEWART, LL.D.,
Colonial Secretary.
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
E. J. EITEL, M.A., Ph. D.,
Inspector of Schools.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.