685948-1879-Education-Annual-Report- — Page 2

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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 2ND APRIL,1879.

3. Whilst the schools placed under Govern-

ment supervision, and more or less supported by Government funds, have, as far as numbers are concerned, barely held their own, there appears to have been a high rate of attendance in other

schools, not subject to Government supervision or aid. A census taken with the help of the District Watchmen showed that there were in town 1,252 scholars in private Chinese schools, to which must be added about 120 scholars in private schools in the villages. From a report published early in 1878, supplemented by the information I gathered from statements made at the close of the year regarding St. Joseph's College, I estimate the number of scholars in the various Roman Catho-

lic institutions of the Colony in 1878 to amount to about 1,120. Thus we have a total of 2,492 children who attended schools not subject to Government supervision or aid.

4. The feature of the year, in educational

respects, was certainly the great impetus given to the study of English. The warmth with which His Excellency the Governor, on all possi-

ble occasions, advocated the promotion of a knowledge of the English language and of Eng-

lish speaking among the native population of Hongkong, naturally bore its fruit. The Gov-

ernment Cerral School altered its time table,

devoting to the study of English the early part of each day, formerly allotted to Chinese studies, and gave to qustioning in English and to English colloquial onversation an amount of at- tention it had never efore received in {" Central

School. As to the Government schoo

the Central School, anong hich Aber

previously been the ong Anglo-Chinese

English teaching was introduced in the course of

the year in three diffcent places, viz., in Wongㄟ

na chung, Wan-tsai nd Sai-ying-phún, and final ly the establishment of a Method Class with a view to train Chinese cachers of English for em-

ployment in the Villas Schools was begun, in connection with the Central School. That the in-

habitants of a small hallet like Wong-nai-ch'ung

sheld volunteer to cotribute $5 per month to-

wards 't -penses of the school, hitherto entire-

ly defra by the Government, and that they should pulate that English as well as Chinese be

taught

a the school, is a most remarkable fact, especia

ay so if it be considered that for years

Pst the standing complaint in all the annual reports of the Education Department was the utter indifference of the villagers with regard to

education. The people of Wong-nai-ch'ung paid their quota regularly, throughout the year, and the school, which at the beginning of the year, when Chinese only was taught, numbered 9 scho- lars, of whom 2 were the sons of the master, counted an average attendance of 26 boys ever since English was introduced. Outside the Gov- ernment schools also, the special appreciation in which English teaching was held by the Head of the Government made itself felt and was warmly "esponded to by a sudden increase of private rols, both day-schools and evening-schools, ted by Chinese or Eurasian teachers, among

外合共學童二千四百九十二名

十名如是本港各書館除國家經理者

教義學照去年春季報錄增入冬季 約瑟書院報錄查得學童一千一百二

書館計學童一百二十名另本港天主 學童一千二百五十二名眙村落民間 色按各約練目呈報香去年民間書館 相去不遠惟本港民間書館則日看起 學或聖會義學綜核學童全數二年間 照此可見凡屬國家經理者或國家義

意感動黎庶踴躍增設書館或夜館以教習英文而中外先生中車先生甚有名譽他去年設帳教授生 二矣迨兼訓英文後則恒有二十六名之多其餘書館除國家經理者外亦有足徵大憲欲人學習英文之美 月捐其允繳之項歲不惓甚爲可嘉且該義學去年春季只教華文時學童不過九人而掌教之子業居其 要之事憶念監督學院歷年年報每村落鄉民絕不踴躍絕不罣慮兒選讀書之事而該黄坭涌人則遞 國家支給兹則甘允每月捐簽洋銀五元呈繳國家以爲少補及定立在彼義學必須兼教英文華文此爲極 人材將來調用在各義學掌教英文者也又義學中有如黄坭涌村雖眇小人甚踴躍向來義學所需均是 有石牌灣一館去年則增三館卽黃坭涌灣仔西營盤三義學是也义在大書院新設蓄掌教之法蓋欲備 書院用英語以答問及教英語鄉談比上年向用者较多而國家義學教習英文者於一千八百七十七年只 人學說英語見有效驗义國家大書院改易課程曩時每日上午教習華文之則用以教習英文叉在大 論及文學形勢去歲爭進莫如鼓舞學習英文者 督憲隨處乘機鼓勵揚英文之學及隨時勸本港華