CO129-449 - Governor Sir May & Acting Governor Claud Severn - 1918 [7-9] — Page 354

Saiyingpun School,

June 29th, 1918.

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His Excellency,

Sir F. H. May, K. C.M.G.

Sir,

I have the honour to request that my salary as headmaster of this School be increased from the present scale, £300 to £550, to a rate equivalent to that of the headmaster of the Ellis Kadoorie School, viz. £540 to £600 per an:

My present Salary is £495 per an: and the increase would be £45 per an:

For educational purposes these two Schools are identical, and the attendance varies but little.

This School has been full for many years past, and during the time I have been in charge the attendance has increased from 40 to over 400.

Further growth has been retarded through the postponement of the building programme, and the limitation of the numbers, by the Government. At home, for purposes of Salary, Schools of the same educational standard are classified according to attendance.

This difference in remuneration between the principal teachers of two neighbouring Government Schools of a precisely similar nature is anomalous, and creates an unfavourable impression in the minds of Chinese parents who make comparisons and draw conclusions, not from a consideration of any educational standards, but from the value, in Salary, at which the Government assesses the services of the respective head-teachers.

I respectfully beg to direct Your Excellency's attention to the fact that:--

1. I am the Senior Trained Certificated Master on the teaching Staff of the Education Department, and that my experience and training which qualifies me for any position the Dept. has to offer were gained for the most part in Schools at home, both as an Assistant Master and a Headmaster.

2. I have had 29 years' teaching experience: --16 in England, during the last eight of which I was Headmaster, and 13 in this Colony.

The Report of the Commission appointed to enquire into the teaching of English in Government Schools in so far as this School was concerned, was entirely satisfactory, as have been the Annual Reports of the Director of Education from the time I became Headmaster, and to which I beg to direct attention.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your obedient servant,

Alfred Marri's.