680644-1881-Government-Central-School-Independent-Examination- — Page 2

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 5TH FEBRUARY, 1881.

69

MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD

APPOINTED TO EXAMINE THE GOVERNMENT

CENTRAL SCHOOL.

Tuesday, 18th--25th January, 1881.

Members of the Board :-

The Hon. NG CHOY.

Rev. Dr. CHALMERS.

Rev. R. LECHLER.

P. R. SMITH, Esq.*

Dr. WONG, and

Dr. EITEL.

Dr. CHALMERS said that he presumed the

Inspector of Schools would ex officio act as Chairman, whereupon Dr. EITEL, as such, opened

the meeting by reading to the Board all the

documents in C. S. O. 29 of 1881 which ex- plained how His Excellency the Governor came to appoint the Members of the Board as Examiners of the Government Central School on the present occasion, after the Masters of the School had, without the knowledge of the Governor, begun and nearly finished their own examination of the School. Dr. ErTEL specially mentioned, that in 1879 the Governor had informed the Secretary of State of his intention not to allow the conti- nuance of the system of having the Central School annually examined by its own Masters only, but that both in January 1880 and in January 1881 the examination was held in the same way as before, without the knowledge of the Governor, until the circumstances detailed in C. S. O. 29 of 1881 drew His Excellency's attention to the matter.

Dr. EITEL further mentioned that after ordering the Masters' own examination to be stopped, the Governor had been asked by the Acting Head Master to allow the Masters to finish their examination for their own satisfaction, but that the Governor had decidedly refused to allow this examination to be continued, as he wished the present Board, appointed for the purpose, to institute an independent examination of the School de novo. With reference to the order of the Governor that the Inspector of Schools should arrange the preliminaries of the examination to be held by the Board, Dr. EITEL laid before the Board, and explained in detail, a scheme he had drawn up, in consultation with Dr. STEWART and the Acting Headmaster, Mr. ARTHUR, for the examination of the Central School,-1stly in English, 2ndly, in Chinese, and 3rdly, in certain special subjects, on the basis of the provisions laid down in the Grant-in-aid Schedule.

Dr. CHALMERS said that whatever the object of the Governor might or might not have been in ordering the examination by the teachers of the School to be stopped and in appointing separate Examiners, he wished to propose the following resolution for adoption by the Board :--

* Added to the Board, on account of the illness of Mr. Justice SNOWDEN.

局試考院書大家國別甄 錄記行頒奪酌日 按 起日八十月正由

止二拜禮日五 五十

营

至中途試事將竣故本局准他竣厥試事然後另行設法以試煉該書院專望局內諸公同心决斷云云 湛牧師謂 督憲飭該書院教師停考另立考試局員不拘有無原故姑置勿論但欲倡議卽考試局查得大書院教師經已舉行甄別適

不及知嗣閱一千八百八十一年第二十九號公文内附一摺方知所行與憶事 自行甄別院内生徒詎於一千八百八十年正月時又一千八百八十一年正月時該教師自行甄別生徒一如前法無異而 督憲猶 憲先打開考及將試埈故也要之 督憲嘗於一千八百七十九年咨呈 藩政大臣謂嗣後不欲香港國家大書院之教師如前每歲 八十一年第二十九號公文內載批語倡誦一遍隨卽解明制憲緣何邀集本局人員如此甄別國家大書院長以該教師未窖請命制 六位初集時湛牧師云本局必有主席之人監督學院原有衡文之任理宜爲本局主席歐監督安居主席位佈考試局卽將一千八百

陳列解明卽與掌院史署掌院鴉酌量遵從助賞義學規條而定之法以甄別大書院 英文 漢文 與及特欸

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至 考試局人員乃紳士伍君叙牧師湛約翰收師黎力基又狀師士滅卽因副按察司有恙不果來增補入局者及王君韜參贊歐德理共成