D
MEMORANDUM.
emit
ANDEX A 16
The position in respect of staff in private schools has shown some slight improvement. Owing to the political situation many schools and Universities in China have recently closed and, consequently, a large number of Normal School trained teachers, University graduates and University professors from China have come to Hong Kong seeking teaching posts. This has enabled private schools which have recently opened in Hong Kong to recruit trained staff; but many of the old private schools employ a large percentage of semi-trained or untrained teachers. There are at present 5,723 teachers in the Colony of whom 400 are employed in rural schools which have an enrolment of 14,000.
Teachers for Rural Schools.
༢
The Rural Training College will, in time, succeed in training sufficient teachers to staff all the rural schools in the New Territories. It is not the intention to replace the present unqualified teachers with new trainees but to reserve a number of places in the College each year which unqualified teachers will take up. Their places will be taken by graduates of the Rural Training College during their two years of training while the remaining graduates are used as replacements of ordinary wastage of staff and for new schools. In this way it is hoped that in ten years or more the whole teaching staff in the schools of the New Territories will have been trained.
Teachers for Urban Schools.
3 From the number of teachers it will be seen that, taking the average 'life' as twenty years, our minimum replacement is nearly 300 per annum. most we can do at present is about 100.
4
The
Nevertheless, it must be appreciated that the private schools (which employ 4,800 teachers) cannot afford to pay the salaries required by a fully qualified staff. As a general rule the Headteacher and about one assistant in three have the necessary qualifications. Goverment schools replacements are about 20 per annum, excluding expansion, am the Grant-Aided schools 30 per annum which can be met from the Northcote Training College.
5
The number of teachers in training at the Northcote Training College and the Rural Training College has increased this year as the improved salary scales for teachers attracted entrants and the two Colleges are now very nearly full to capacity. The present mupers are:-
English
1st year.
Vernacular
2nd year.
English
Vernacular
Northcote Training
College
31
31
17
39
1st year
24
2nd year 21
Rural Training College
6 There is no doubt, however, that far more trained teachers per year are required in Hong Kong than can be provided by the Northcote Training College and Rural Training College. Teachers trained in China cannot be so suitable for the needs of Hong Kong as those trained in Hong Kong specifically to meet local requirements; such teachers from China lack the modernizing influence of training under Europeans or teachers with full knowledge of European methods. It is difficult to assess the true value of any certificates they may have and at the present time they may be politically undesirable.
7
There is an urgent need for a new Teachers Training College to train Vernacular Teachers for Primary School work. The Northcote Training College could then devote itself largely to training teachers for Anglo-Chinese
and Middle Schools and concentrate particularly on training teachers of English and subject specialists for such subjects as Art, Handwork, Music, Physical Education, etc.
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