CO129-548-2 Vacancy for Director of Education 19-2-1934 - 11-10-1934 — Page 16

15

17125-2

کما میں 440 میں

Ion 33795

ساس

It is the oldest

الله ده

but not menti

ска

The last apperament,

のグ

remain in it a long time". In my minute I

suggested that a reasonably long period of tenure

should be made a condition of appointment but

this was not found possible. As a result Mr. Sutherland

Smith, who was rejected because he was about to

retire is still there and Mr. Smith has gone

higher.

4.

For the vacancy created by Mr. Smith's

promotion Mr. Sutherland is rejected because he

is still just going to retire. Mr. Brown is

rejected because his retirement is also expected,

no other educational officer with enough admini-

strative experience is forthcoming. And the

Governor introduced a new reason for appointing

a cadet, namely familiarity with the Chinese

language, life and thought. One is tempted to

ask why such familiarity, which is surely a

necessary condition successful educational

not

work, has/been ensured among the senior members

of the Education Department by departmental

regulations relating to language examination,

etc.

5. I do not know enough about the senior

members of the Hong Kong Education Department to

be able to say with confidence in the face of the

Governor's report that any of them is suitable

for the Directors post. I feel pretty sure that

the senior members, recruited in days when edu-

cational appointments in Hong Kong were not very

carefully considered and prospects were not very

good,

are considerably inferior to the younger

men recruited during the last five or six years.

In any case it would require very strong evidence

to justify the setting aside of the Governor's

very definite views and an educational man