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At present the pupils of Class 1 at the Central British School sit each year for the Matriculation Examination of the University of Hong Kong and a few for the London University Matriculation.
An annexe of five classrooms was opened in this school in 1924. Four extra rooms were added in 1928 and it is again found necessary to provide additional room of a temporary nature which will serve till a new school building becomes available.
Anglo-Chinese Schools. The total number of pupils on roll was 3,554 as against 3,238 in 1928. At Queen's College, King's College and Belilios Public School for Girls the pupils of Classes 1 and 2 are required to sit for the Matriculation or Senior Local and Junior Local Examinations of the University of Hong Kong. This year the entrants numbered 214 and 102 passed.
The age limit for admission to Class 8 has been raised to twelve plus. These entrants are, it should be understood, not making their first venture into school life, as the entrance ex- amination postulates three or four years education in the ver- nacular.
During the year Un Long school building was found to be unsafe and rented premises have been occupied pending the erection of a new building.
Vernacular Schools.-The Vernacular Middle School was again unable to accommodate all the applicants for admission. At the final examination in the normal department seven quali- fied as
Vernacular teachers. The Inspector of Vernacular Schools reports that these teachers are sought for by heads of schools and easily find employment.
The Vernacular Normal School for Women continues its satisfactory career and again shows a small increase in numbers : holders of the final certificates from this school also have no difficulty in finding posts and are doing useful work.
Technical Institute. The number on the roll was 598. This institution which represents the only provision in the Colony for adult education continues to supply an obvious need. Very useful are the English and Vernacular teachers' classes, which have been effective in improving the quality of the instruction in the schools of the Colony.
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GRANT IN AID SCHOOLS,
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The number of these schools is again sixteen, the Wah Yan branch school at Kowloon having been added to the list. It
may not be necessary to place any more schools on the Grant List in the near future and I do not see any pressing need for an increase in the secondary departments of English Schools for the next few years.
As the late Governor said at one of his last public functions there is room for more schools which cater for that majority of our pupils who do not stay at school beyond class 3 or 4.
The pupils at the English Schools numbered 4,639 as against 4.257 last year while the numbers at Vernacular Schools dropped from 1,011 to 987.
PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
It was found necessary at the beginning of the year to appoint one new Inspector of Vernacular Schools and an in- crease in subsidy expenditure of $8,000 was incurred. This would have to be further, but at present not considerably, increased if aid were given to all schools which merit and need it. The receipt of a subsidy is a sort of hall mark and has the merit of attracting pupils to institutions which have met with the comparative approval of the inspectors.
In the preface to this report I have referred to the private English schools of which in 1929 there were 135 with 6,861 pupils of whom only 270 were girls.
EXAMINATIONS.
(i) A table showing the results of the Matriculation and Local Examinations conducted in 1929 by the University of Hong Kong is given below. A fair standard has been reached in Government and Grant in Aid schools, of the latter three girls' schools being well above the average and one boys' school considerably below. This year for the first time there were candidates from a Vernacular Grant school for girls.
The Local Examinations are conducted by the University at the request of the Government. All boys and girls in thi two senior classes of Government and Grant in Aid English schools are required to sit for these examinations.
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