681322-1881-Annual-Report-on-Government-Schools- — Page 4

314

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 7TH MAY, 1881.

6. As regards the nature of the instruction

afforded in the Schools of the Colony, there has been a steady increase of late in the number of Schools that teach English. The number of scholars learning English in Government Schools advanced, accordingly, from 661 in 1877 to 683 in 1878, to 812 in 1879, and to 864 in 1880, English being now taught, not only in the Central School, but since 1878 and 1879 also in the follow- ing Government Schools: ---Sai-ying-p'ún, Wán- tsai, Wong-nai-chung, Shau-ki-wan, Stanley and Yau-má-ti. In the Grant-in-aid Schools the number of scholars learning English advanced from 253 in 1877 to 280 in 1878, to 368. in 1879, and to 435 in 1880. There has therefore been a considerable and steady increase during the last four years in the number of scholars learning English, in both the Government Schools and the Grant-in-aid Schools, the natural result of the unwearied attention which Sir JoHN POPE

HENNESSY gave to the promotion of a knowledge and use of the English Language in this Colony.

7. The work done by the Government Central School in 1880 has been tested, for the first time since the establishment of the School (in 1862), by a Commission of independent Examiners, instead of by the Masters themselves. As Chair- man of this Commission, I may be permitted to state here briefly the result of the examination.

This examination was conducted on the principles of the Grant-in-aid Schedule, that is to say, every scholar was examined individually, both

orally and in writing, in every single subject

which had been taught during the year in his class, and each scholar had a definite number of

marks allotted to him in each subject. Owing to the unpreparedness of the School for such a search ng examination, a much broader margin of indulgence for mistakes was allowed to each boy than is customary at the Grant-in-aid School examinations. Nevertheless, the result of the examination, both in English and Chinese, showed the School to be in practical results below the average of similar Grant-in-aid Schools. I append the detailed report of the Commission, and

confine myself to stating that this unfavourable result, puzzling as it appears in view of the fact that the teaching power and discipline of the School were as perfect in 1880 as ever before, can be traced; in my opinion, to the following circum-

stances.

As regards both English and Chinese teach- ing, the classes are too large, and there is a system of such rapid promotion from one class to another, that at the end of the year scarcely half the boys of any one class have had the same course of teaching during any term of the year, and scarcely any boy in the whole school is thoroughly grounded in the entire course of study through which he ought to have passed according to the school plan.

義教

義五有七一賞仔年教一時七增至 【燕學名三十千之黃及英十有十益於 幾制所由百八八各坭一二六七故本 幼軍有此六年百聖涌千之名 年 學不學觀十時七會膂八書於八 壯憚習之八十義箕百館- 行煩英 統名二七學灣七除千 以勞文計於百年所赤十國八名 致諄之四一八時有柱九家百於六學 有諄學年千十有學油年大八一十 此勸童來八名二習蔴以書十千 自諭其或白於百英地來院年八名文 然要數在八一五文名

文各開外時百於之教 之在遞國十千十之館設自有七一童 效本年家年八三學均書一八十

港所義時百名童教館千百九八 播增學有七於數英卽

於數英卽八六年百查 楊甚或四十一亦文西

十一亦文西百十時七 英多在百九千增至營七四有十千 文皆 聖三年八益領盤十名八八八遞 英由會十時百於助灣八查百年百年

事於

抒十

試彰學預每

局者

偏童

如於文

該准此某將

某將嘗 忝 錄書限詳藝各 居舉

其故念該書院所有才幹之教師所用整肅之教法在此一千八百 彰者卽該書院所結之實較彼聖會義學所結者未嘗及半兹將考

整說

殊師

謹抒鄙見於後 八十年時全備一如疇昔此事殊堪記異但監院以爲諒或有故

偏院中竟莫得其一 程欲見諳熟各藝之童

細所童取 助考溯,

賞試

至於本港各塾教條若何邇來教習英文之書館遞年 於一千八百八十年特派試官代教師以甄別國家大書院生徒此 按兼教英文華文各班

各程卽言該甄

而別試用此書别

甄領官

別助 助念

英賞 及

語甄院國

年內頻陞班次不無太

甄別又將各童所列班次及週年所習課程欸辨條分陸續甄別叉 速鄰於鑑等迨歲暮時

常別定及要

該圈

書數

院若所爲

莫得五叉照該書院所

系列

局

之席

一之

或千事

有八推將

甄童當

未別循日此

故百原考表義嘗叉序甄竊此

程有莫學

得工

年學按

*