CO129-264 - Governor Sir Robinson & Public Offices - 1894 [9-12] — Page 108

;

APPOINTED TO EXAMINE THE GOVERNMENT

CENTRAL SCHOOL.

MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD

局試考院書大家國別甄

錄行頒奪酌日按 起日 八十月正由

拜 止

禮日五十

Tuesday, 18th-25th January, 1881.

Members of the Board :----

The Hon. NG CHOY.

Rev. Dr. CHALMERS.

Rev. R. LECHLER,

P. R. SMITH, Esq.*

Dr. Wong, and

Dr. EITEFL.

Dr. CHALMERS said that he presumed the

Inspector of Schools would ex officio act as Chairman, whereupon Dr. Errrr, as such, opened

the meeting by reading to the Board all the

documents in C. S. O. 29 of 1881 which ex-

plained bow His Excellency the Governor came to appoint the Members of the Board as Examiners of the Government Central School on the present

occasion, after the Masters of the School had,

without the knowledge of the Governor, begun

and nearly finished their own examination of the

School. Dr. EITEL specially mentioned, that in 1879 the Governor had informed the Secretary

of State of his intention not to allow the conti- nuance of the system of having the Central School

annually examined by its own Masters only, but that both in January 1880 and in January 1881

the examination was held in the same way as before, without the knowledge of the Governor,

until the circumstances detailed in C. S. O. 29 of

1881 drew His Excellency's attention to the matter.

Dr. ETTEL further mentioned that after ordering

the Masters' own examination to be stopped, the Governor had been asked by the Acting Head

Master to allow the Masters to finish their

examination for their own satisfaction, but that

the Governor had decidedly refused to allow this

examination to be continued, as he wished the

present Board, appointed for the purpose, to

institute an independent examination of the

School de novo. With reference to the order of

the Governor that the Inspector of Schools should

arrange the preliminaries of the examination to

be held by the Board, Dr. EITEL laid before the

Board, and explained in detail, a scheme he bad

drawn up, in consultation with Dr. STEWART and

the Acting Headmaster, Mr. ARTHUR, for the

examination of the Central School,-1stly in

English, 2ndiy, in Chinese, and 3rdly, in certain

special subjects, on the basis of the provisions laid down in the Grant-in-aid Schedule.

Dr. CHALMERS said that whatever the object

of the Governor might or might not have been

in ordering the examination by the teachers of

the School to be stopped and in appointing

separate Examiners, he wished to propose the

following resolution for adoption by the Board :-

SNOWDEN,

* Added to the Board, on account of the illness of Mr. Justice

不及知嗣閱一千八百八十一年第二十九號公文內附一摺方知所行與憶前事 至 考試局人員乃紳士伍君敘牧師湛約翰收師黎力基叉狀師士滅卽因按察司有恙不果來增補入局者及王君韜參贊歐德理共成 自行甄別院內生徒詎於一千八百八十年正月時叉一千八百八十一年正月時該教師自行甄別生徒一如前法無異而 督憲猶 憲先已開考及將試鑀故也要之 督憲嘗於一千八百七十九年咨呈 藩政大臣謂嗣後不欲香港國家大書院之教師如前每歲 八十一年第二十九號公文內載批語倡誦一遍隨即解明制憲綠何邀集本局人員如此甄別國家大院其以該教師未嘗請命制 六位初集時湛牧師云本局必有主席之人監督學院原有衡文之任理官爲本局主席歐監督安居主席位考試局卽將一千八百

陳列解明卽與掌院史署掌院鴇酌量遵從助賞義學規條而定之法以甄別大書院 英文 漢文 與及特歎 歐參贊復言謂 督憲經飭該教師停考嗣准掌院申陳禀請准該教師於嘗開考者完竣試事以俯順厰情安慰厥心但 督憲亦未 钉批准因 督憲特立本局實欲從新導考該書院故至於 督憲仰監督學院預備舉行本局甄別之事故歐監督將所繕甄別之法

湛牧師謂 督憲書院教師停考另立考試局員不拘有無原故姑置勿論但欲倡議卽考試局查得大書院教師經已舉行甄別適

該故

至中途試事將竣故本局准他竣厥試事然後另行設法以試煉該書院專望局內諸公同心决斷云云

"That we, finding the teachers of the Central School were in the middle of a process of ex- amination, nearly finished, permit them to finish that, and then take further measures to test the School.

Dr. EITEL reminded Dr. CHALMERS that the documents he had read to the Board showed that the Governor had appointed the Board for the purpose of instituting an independent examina- tion on the basis of the Grant-in-aid Scheme, and that the Governor had twice ordered the discontinuance of the Masters' examination.

Mr. NG CHOY said he would second Dr. CHAL- MERS' motion, in consideration of the shortness

of time and of the difficulties in the way of the Board examining the boys independently.

Dr. EITEJ. stated that this resolution, if passed, would the Head Master into a false position,

put

necessitating his disobeying the explicit orders

of the Governor.

Dr. CHALMERS asked if the Members of the

Board were forbidden to put the questions again, which the Masters, orally or in writing, had already put, to the boys.

Dr. EITEL replied that the Members of the Board had been asked to conduct a new and independent examination on the basis of the Grant-in-aid Schedule, that the examination

began by the Masters was not in accordance with the rules laid down in that Schedule, and that therefore the Bourd was not asked to finish what the Masters had begun and then to test the School somehow, but to conduct an entirely

new and independent examination on the prin-

ciples of the Grant-in-aid Schedule.

Dr. CHALMERS said that he maintained that, as

a Member of the Board, he was free to ask the

boys again the same questions which had been asked by the Masters, or which they were about

to ask. Dr. CHALMERS wished to know decisively whether or not he and the other Members of the Board could do so.

Mr. No Cuor said that when he seconded the

proposition he did not consider the words "permit

the Masters," and would suggest that Dr. CHAL- MERS should substitute the words "ask them to help us," in which case he would second Dr. CHALMERS' motion.

Dr. CHALMERS said what he wished was that

the little portion of the examination held by

the Masters which was left unfinished, be finished

for the convenience and help of the Board.

Mr. LECHLER remarked that the Board could

not ask the Masters to continue an examination

which the Governor had twice ordered them to discontinue.

Dr. CHALMERS said he wished to amend his previous motion, and moved :-

“That we, finding the teachers of the Central

School were in the midst of a process of examina-

tion, nearly finished, instruct them to finish that, and then take further measures to test the School,

Mr. No CHOY declined to second this resolution.

律紳湛黎 神婆 此師士牧牧謂 議士伍師師厥

毆講 ·果督所謂其師督如 如欲憲欲贊所所憲將 改申者助開邀 易命卽湛執集教 前該用牧 者本師

教師 而局所經日

任

後同擬酌

同意

人試新問

他之固煉自或 1乃未時有該專命院 此准成固全書特題未

就未權院行者 之悟可乃甄再又行

有些允將要別行費甄

少准該本仍面躊肼

教教局以問躇該

師師從助命因

語問自 無

師停考云云 歐參贊謂如此議饢倘經酌奪則綑掌院未免又費躊躇因此無異强彼違逆督憲所特飭者 紳士伍叙維時無多日固不足本局自專特行甄該生徒等徑難行故願贊助湛牧師所倡議者 歐參贊請湛牧師憶念所誦公文以明 督憲立局之意原欲本局遵照助賞義學規條之法從新自專恃行甄別又請他憶念 督憲嘗再次飭該教

紳士伍釵云如此議端固不樂贊助 此議至毆參贊陳列倡議之法及掌院和衷允協者本局理宜憶念且該書院釋由教師甄骸童而該掌教週歲勤勞工課非爲欲領該規條所定 律師士蔑謂竊以爲倘更阻滯未免失時抑或難事旁生轉令生徒又多一翻煩絮究不如本局以助賞規條爲本遵行甄別之爲愈敢請局内公决斷 湛牧師云果欲改易前倡議若無則如此云本局查得大書院教師甄別生徒適至中途將及竣試令他完竣厥工然後本局另尋法以試煉該書院 紳士伍叙譞贊助湛牧師所倡議者之時固未悟允准教師一語是以欲請湛牧師易爲請該教師助本局一語如此乃肯贊助湛牧師所倡議者湛牧師 湛牧師镅其所堅執者即本局同人固有全權可將該教師所問學童者或適欲問者再問湛牧師又謂他欲明不論自已或本局位可否如此舉行 斷參贊云督憲邀集本局同人從新自行甄別仍以助賞義學規條爲本但該教師所開考者與該規條所定之法不符要之督憲固未嘗請本局完

該局

但以

師問從該為

易者助教可

為再賞師否

106

等