CO129-591-3 Education Department- revised grant code 24-10-1945 - 11-12-1945 — Page 31

The following is an extract from a letter dated 11th July, 1946, from Mr. Rowell, Director of Education, Hong Kong:-

14.

The Grant Code is coming to a head and I hope that some decision will have been taken on it before the month is out. The great stumbling block is of course the Financial Adviser since my amendments mean an increased expenditure of some £10,000.- per annum. Unless the main amendment which places the Grant School and Government Anglo-Chinese and Vernacular masters and mistresses on the same scale of salary is approved, I fear that we shall have a large number of resignations which we can ill afford, and the general feeling of dissatisfaction is reflected also in the very small number of applications for entry to the Training College in September. In 1941 there were 300 applicants for 48 places; up to date there are 7 applicants for the same number of places. If this position continues I shall be compelled in the present lack of buildings to remove the training of teachers to a smaller building and use the Training College as a secondary school with about 700 boys.

Ythe

If you have a copy of our Grant Code in front of you,.

e paragraphs which are giving trouble are Nos. 13 and 14 and the point at issue is the fact that Anglo- Chinese and Vernacular masters in Government schools have a salary scale of $900 per annum, rising to $6,000 per annum in 28 years at annual increments of $150. with double increments at the end of the 6th and 7th years. In paragraph 13 of the Code similarly trained masters in the Grant School start at $900 per annum, rising to only $3,600.- in 26 years with annual increments of $108.- This means that after 10 years the teachers in Government schools are receiving $212.50 per month while their opposite numbers in the Grant school are getting $156.- In the case of the mistresses, the Government teachers start at $720.- rising to $3,000.- in 20 years while those in the Grant schools start at $720.- rising to $2,160.- in 25 years; the increments in the first case being $120.- per annum and the latter case $60.- per annum. No wonder that they consider this treatment is extremely unfair.