CO129-603-2 Education Department- revised grant code 5-4-1948 - 6-1-1949 — Page 141

Colonial Office No. 53923/47 Secretariat File No. (2180/45)

SAVI

To:

SAVINGRAM

Secretary of State for the Colonies,

From the Governor, Hong Kong.

Date 3 April, 1948,

No. 225-

(16) on '17 fak

1.

Your savingram 784 of 1947. Education Grant Code.

Following are Director of Education's replies to the further comments made by the non-African Sub-Committee of the A.C.E.C:

2.

RECEIVED

17 APR 1948

C. O. REGY

#1 Part I Section 19: With reference to the Sub-Committee's further comments on this portion of the Code I would point out that the pupils of the Grant Schools require a very high standard of written English in their Senior classes in order that they may successfully compete with other schools in the School Certi- ficate and Matriculation Examinations, and later be able to understand and follow the courses at the University of Hong Kong which are conducted in English. While I appreciate the Committee's recommendation of encouraging more reading and discussion and less writing as a general basis for the teaching of English, the special circumstances of Hong Kong demand that the standard of written English should be as good as possible. That this is being achieved is shown by the progress and results of those Hong Kong students at present studying in British Universities. The majority of students in Grant-Aided School s come from that section of the community which has for genera- tions supplied a large proportion of those who have to earn their living by their ability to write English and they are employed in Government, banks and business firms and not a few of them become teachers.

As English is a foreign language to all of them and since also their mother-tongue varies from Chinese, Portuguese to Urdu and Hindustani, the amount of time involved in correction work, not only in English but in such subjects as History, Geography and Science, is greater by far than the time required for such corrections in England.

It is not agreed that the teacher of Chinese is similarly placed to specialist teachers in England. The latter can at least take other work besides their own specialist subject. On the other hand, a teacher of Chinese language and literature, a subject which is essential, cannot be used for any other purpose. As a general rule, they speak no English and those who do cannot be utilised for lessons in that language other than by lowering the standard of English.

The position is very different from the Vernacular School where all subjects are taught in Chinese and English is taught as a foreign language.

The number of part-time teachers additional to the 14 teachers for ten classes is in fact small, and, excepting in such cases where classes have been split into separate divisions for varied languages, additional part-time staff beyond the proposed ratio would not be approved.

It is considered that the present number of teaching periods in the Grant Schools is adequate and that the time given to correction work is not excessive.