On the whole I must congratulate the Govern- ment on the great progress made in this direc- tion during the past three years ander the able and special guidance of Your Excellency. It is therefore with some diffidence that I venture to make certain criticisms on the system as it exists. First, Your Excellency's policy in decreasing the number of scholars in a particular school or college by the introduction of the dual desks, by raising the school fees, by limiting the num ber of students under a single master to 40, and by higher grauts to pupils in the upper and middle divisions of a school, in order to secure more thorough and efficient teach- ing and supervision has produced good results, but the success would have been much greater had more adequate provision been made at the same time for the accommodation of those children who have been excluded from the classes, and for the ever-increasing number of children who are demanding educational faci- lities. I do not advocate compulsory education in this Colony at the pr sent moment, but as the number of children demanding educational facilities is so very great, notwithstanding the large number of private schools which have sprung np lately, it will soon become a serious question for the Government whether , they ought to allow more than half of the children in Hongkong to grow up without even an elementary education for want of snch facilities. I think an Educational Board is urgently needed to deal with this question and speedily. I regretto find that there is no provision made for the higher and advanced education of British and European children. Your Excellency has brought the University to a successful issue and when it opens next year it will attract a proportionate number of British and European youthe. How, and when then can these youths obtain the high standard of education qualifying then for entrance examination of the Univer sity? There are, I believe, only two schools for Enropean children, the British School at Kowloon and the Victoria School at Causeway Bay. I regret also to find that no additional; provision is made for the education of girls whose training and schooling are particularly liahle to be neglected. The Belilios public girls' sebool provides for a comparative few, and com pared to the boys they are indeed very poorly provided for. The appointment of the Chinese Board of Primary Vernac lar Education is a step in the right direction but it is to be regretiel ihat: the Board's scope and objects have not been more definitely stated. There has been already some misunderstanding and nothing short of a de finite pronouncement by the Government would remove doubts in some respects. Your Excellency made these remarks at the last meeting of this Conveil this point! which I by your leave will quote. Oa
ON
Page 194 of fiancard Your Excellency said:"Apart, however, from these mission con- ducted schools which receive a grant from government, there are an immense number of private vernacu ar primary schools run as a speculation by Chinese teachers of which the Government has little or no knowledge what- over. Many others are supported by Chinese Societies such as the Ellis Kadoorle Schools Committee, the Confucian Society, and others. I have long thought that this was a sphere in i which the leading Chinese in this Colony would undoubtedly interest themselves, if they were invited to do so by the Government and assured of Government co-operation," And on page 195 your farther remarks are reported as follows: "I have great hopes of this scheme if it is allowed to develop on natural lines of evolution in its own way. I hope that in the future every
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primary school in the Colony in which instrue. i tion is imparted in the Chinese language will be under the cognizanco of this Board, other than those conducted by Government itself, or by missions under a Gorerament grant. I tanst that a great improvement in methods of education by the employment of trained teachers and botter supervision will be the result. The principle involved is the encour agement of Chinese initi tive with Government co-operation, and the promotion of a better and more widely extended system of primary educa- tion in the Chinese language. The generosity of the Chinese in matters of education, when under their own control, will no doubt provide funds, but I do not disguise the fact that in future years the grant provided by Govern- ! ment will probably need to be largely increas- ed In regard to education generally, we must remember that data applicable to Eugland and indeed to most other Crown Colonies are not applicable here, where our school population consists very largely of aliens from China and is transitory. Compul ory education for all children is hardly, I think you will agree, a feasible proposal at the present time. I do not share the view of the distinguished gentleman who has recently contributed a series of articles to the Press, that existing charit- able agencies are hampered by want of legisla tion, and I doubt whether a system of re. gistra ion and inspection" of these institutions wonld not be more likely to stifle than to encourage them. In the last completed year of account, 1910. we spent 2.34 per cent, of our rere? ne ou education, and in the seven years prior to 1907 we spent only 1.69, an increase of about 38 per cent. I believe that this increased expenditure
to
has been justified by a very real progress and extended and improved education. This exten- sion and improvement will uced to be steadily continued from year to year, for though, as I have told you, we have increased our expendi- inre cu education by as much as 38 per cent, since I have been bere it is still but a very small proportion of our revenue, and contrasts, I think, nnfavourably with other colonios. In the Straits Settlements the proportion appears
be approximately double." To me it was quite clear that Your Excellency intended that the Board should take into account the so-called adventurous schools throughout this Colony and that the majority if not all of them should be brought as speedily as possible under the supervision and direction of the Beard. But it appear that I was somewhat mistaken and I shall be glad to have the correction from Your Excellency. It would seem to bea pity to confine our attention oren at the commencement, to such primary Vernacular schools as managed by the Man Mo temple and the Confucian and other societies, but the Board should endeavour to so devise its plans as to bring in all or as many primary verbacular schools as possible within its opera- tions at the outset. This brings me to the subject of the amount out of revenue which is sunnally set apart for educational purposes. On this bead your Excellency said the other day that in the last-completed year 1910 we spent 234
of per cent,
on education and your Excellency might have added that in India the percentage is over 6. I believe I have the support of my nu fficial colleagues when I say that the Government should have assigned annually a much m ́re liberal sum to this most useful and necessary purpose. Take the Primary Vernacular Board as an example. The sum assigned to it for next year is ouly about 8'000 and that in my opinion is totally inadequate to its probable requirements. The generosity of
our revenus
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