CO129-591-3 Education Department- revised grant code 24-10-1945 - 11-12-1945 — Page 57

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EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

HONG KONG

2nd January, 1946.

Dear Mr. Cox,

I think Col. Rowell has already written to you on the subject of the new Grant Code which was brought into force on September the 1st 1941. No one seems to be sure whether it received the approval of the Secretary of State.

It is clear from the experience now gained that the Code requires minor amendments. The Bishop and Fr. Joy (Superior of the Jesuits) are opposed to the principle on which it is based, but I feel convinced that the Heads of schools do not agree with them on this point. I have made out a list of proposed amendments which I shall be forwarding to you after they have been discussed with the Heads and Correspondents of schools.

One of the difficulties is that of fixing the salaries of members of Roman Catholic Religious Orders. Sollis's intention was, I think, to give them no more than it costs the Order to keep them at present. There is very strong opposition to Such discrimination against them, and I must say that I do not see why Government should not pay them the recognised renumeration for a particular job. If it does not, it means that the sacrifices made by these men for the Church are being used to benefit Government. The existence of these schools is relieving Government of the necessity of building additional Government Schools which would be more expensive to build and maintain than Grant Schools.

As laid down in the Directive on Educational Policy in Hong Kong, the main expansion in Government education will be the provision of a large number of Primary Schools. In the past primary education was left almost entirely to private schools, mostly run by untrained teachers in slum premises. These new primary schools should have Kindergarten Departments. As there are at present no facilities in the Colony for the training of kindergarten teachers, I am very keen that the Northcote Training College should be extended to include a department for the training of such teachers. I have therefore put up to Government a proposal that two suitable women teachers should be sent to England at Government expense to do a kindergarten course and then return to start kindergarten training in Hong Kong. The alternative of sending two kindergarten teachers out from England would not work, as the training here will have to be done in Cantonese. The Training College re-opens next month.

As far as Government secondary education is concerned, it is unlikely that more European staff will be required if the repatriated members of the former staff return. The great majority of the European masters used to teach in King's, Queen's and the Central British School. The two former are totally destroyed and will take from 12 to 18 months to re-build, the shortage of building material being acute. The C.B.S. is an R.A.F. Hospital, but I may be able to get it back by September. Even then only about one third of the former staff of European masters will be required, so that it looks as if the remainder will be available to go to other Colonies.

There are now over 20,000 pupils in the schools here: 2700 in nine Government schools (mostly in requisitioned and inadequate premises, 5500 in Grant-in-aid schools, and the