II
SUPPLEMENT TO THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 1897.
filling so rapidly that it seemed as if the disastrons effects of the outbreak of plague in 1894 were about to be wiped out entirely, but within a few weeks the movement suddenly stopped and numbers of Chinese Schools were left almost empty owing to a sudden recurrence of the epidemic in some parts of the Colony. The average attendance, instead of increasing beyond that of 1895, which stood at 4,689 scholars, fell to 4,005 scholars. The proportion of average daily attendance to enrolment which in 1893 equalled 78.19 per cent., and which, after falling to 61.41 per cent. in 1894, had again risen in 1895 to 76.95 per cent., fell accordingly in 1896 to 74.48 per cent. instead of yielding, as in the ordinary course it would have done, a considerable increase.
7. LOCAL DISTRIBUTION OF SECULAR AND RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS IN THE COLONY.-The terms secular" and "religious" have to be applied to local Schools in a peculiar sense, which requires a few words of explanation. Nearly all the Grant-in-Aid Schools are virtually religious" Schools in the ordinary sense of the word, but under the Grant-in-Aid Code, which deliberately and wisely ignores the question of religion altogether, the Government aids these Voluntary Schools exclusively on the basis of the results obtained in the subjects of the standards" (reading, dictation, composition, history, mathematics, natural science etc.), and leaves these Schools absolutely free to teach as much or as little as they please of any religion whatsoever. The Institutions which in this Colony are denominated secular" Schools are the Government Schools, established, maintained and controlled exclusively by the Government apart from any question of payment by resnit, and the Kaifong Schools, maintained by Chinese Associations which decline to receive any aid from Government in order to be absolutely free from any European interference. Now these Schools are not altogether secular, because these so called secular Schools inculcate the principles of Confucianism, Tanism and Buddhism in teaching the Chinese standard school books and the one Government School which has lately ceased giving a Chinese education, teaches in certain classes, preparing for the Oxford Local Examinations, portions of the Christian Scriptures. Nevertheless all the Government Schools as well as the Kaifong Schools are secular in this sense that they do not make it their aim to inculeate the principles of Christianity. They are secular so far as they are non-Christian, and aim rather at the propagation of morality than of religion ordinarily so called. Taking, however, the distinction of religious and secular School in the sense in which these terms are locally applied, it is interesting to note that, with the exception of the comparatively unsettled districts of Kennedy Town and Shek-tong-tsui (at the extreme West end of the town) every district of the Colony that has any Schools at all, has a sufficient proportion of both secular and religions Schools to answer the varied demands of the people. The subjoined Table exhibits this aspect of local school accommodation with sufficient clearness and requires no further explanation. I may add, however, this Table, apart from illustrating the topographical distribution of secular and religious Schools, also illustrates the fact that the mass of the native population, although they are devout Confucianists, Tauists or Buddhists, have as a rule, no objection to send their children to the religious Grant-in-Aid schools in spite of their decidedly Christian character. It will be noticed that the religious Grant-in-Aid Schools have a larger attendance than the secular Government and Kaifong Schools put together, and the reason is simply that the Grant-in-Aid Schools, being worked on the principle of payment by results, are impelled by self interest to maintain a higher rate of efficiency and that the latter aspect outweighs with Chinese parents all other considerations.
Table shewing the Local Distribution of Secular and Religions Schools in 1896.
Districts
exclusive of Peak District.
Grant-
Govern-
Kaifong, in-
Private.
Private.
Total.
Total.
Grand Total.
ment.
AM.
Secular Schools.
Scholars.
Secular Schouls.
Scholars.
Religious Schools.
Scholars.
Semular Schools.
-...
Scholars.
Religious Schools,
Scholars.
Secular Sebonds.
Scholars.
Religious Schools,
Scholars.
Schools.
Scholars.
of all
Descriptions,
Schools
1. & II. Kennedy Town and Shok-
tongtsui,
III. Salyingpuu,
IV. & V. Taipingshan & Sheungwán,. VI. Chungwán.
VII. & VIII. Hawân and Wantsai,
191
12. 204
15
292 835
8
2391
8
239
14
395 15: 835 29
1,230
16 978
19 387 16 978
1,365
1.705 32 59' 22 1,56
136
36-2.201 26:1716 62 3,980
IX. & X. Bowrington & Sookonpon,.. XI. Villages of Hongkong. XII. Villages & Settlement of British
Kowloon,
67
199
228 12 489 1 12 110 10 367
231
12 165
1 1
14 720 26 1,185 3 106 3 112
248 10 367 24 676
63
X
135
16 565
9
198
16
565 25
763
Totals..
17
2.462 89 1,625: 101,5478 1 : 37
7
384107!
108 5.562 215 9,686
8. EDUCATIONAL EXPENDITURE OF THE GOVERNMENT.-The sum total of disbursements made by the Government for educational purposes during the year 1896 ($76,501 as compared with $73,775
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.