TNAG-0176-FCO40-212-Brief-on-communist-controlled-schools-for-Lord-Shepherd-s-vi-1969 — Page 55

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14.

During the course of these inspections various other irregularities were discovered; these included excess pupils in some classrooms, classes in unregistered rooms, failure to supply routine returns. Irregularities like these are common in many private schools in the Colony, As a follow- up of these inspections more vigorous action has been taken against communist schools than is the case with other private schools. There has been some response to these efforts but several schools have complained that the department is being unnecessarily strict.

Summary of Achievementsof Third Round of Inspections

15.

The latest round of inspections represent a considerable improvement over previous ones. The limited contact previously achieved has been developed and some sort of presence established. No schools have directly challenged the authority of the Education Department and some have shown a considerable readiness to comply with the requirements of the Education Ordinance.

16. After the incident at Shaukiwan Workers School referred to at para. 4 above the practice of giving schools advance notice of inspections was discontinued. Although this served its purpose of denying the schools an opportunity of preparing hostile receptions it was taken by the schools as discriminatory treatment and complaints were made to the inspectors about it. It also resulted in unintentional incidents through schools being visited when there was no responsible person present and the inspectors being obstructed as a result either of hostility or of nervousness on the part of the persons they encountered.

17.

It would be advisable in forthcoming inspections to resume in some cases the practice of giving advance notice of inspections. It is unlikely in the present circumstances that this will be seriously abused by the schools as before; it would contribute to the "normalisation" of relations between the Education Department and the communist-controlled schools; and it would help to obviate the occurence of unintentional incidents such as those mentioned in the preceding paragraph.

Proposed 4th Round

The Next Step

18.

All inspections carried out since the beginning of the disturbances have been purely of a supervisory nature concerned with such matters as enrolment figures, staff changes, registration of premises, fulfilment of fire and health requirements and routine returns. This has provided a means of contact between the Education Department and the schools but such contact is fleeting and superficial. Prior to the onset of the disturbances communist schools were also visited by the advisory inspectorate who used to sit in during lessons and give advice on the methods of teaching the subjects concerned. It would be desirable to effect a return to this more substantial contact if possible. The time has come to think of the next step to be taken in this direction.

19.

The first step might be to attempt to make an appointment with one of the milder schools for a group of advisory inspectors of some non- controversial subjects such as mathematics, physics, biology, to visit the

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