260
·
J
: examinations, Sheung Shui lagged behind other villages in allowing girls to attend schools, perhaps it was due to the conservatism of our ancestors". The rate of female literacy before the turn of the century was almost zero. The change in educational concepts which led to the beginning of a literate female population in the village was brought about by the efforts of the Hong Kong and New Territory Evangelization Society and the early Christian convert from the village just mentioned above. The Society had initially fared badly in the village as the villagers were strongly opposed to Christianity. In 1912, it managed to rent a house in the village to set up a small class of fifteen girls taught by the two ladies already mentioned from urban Hong Kong.21 In 1914, this school became the first and for a time the only government subsidized school for girls in the New Territories. Unfortunately, the school had to be closed in 1917 as the two lady teachers left the village, one for Sham Chun and another for Shanghai.22 Some of the girls from this school were admitted into the other village schools such as the Yun Sheng Chia-shou and Ming I Te Tang ** and thereafter girls continued to be enrolled in the different schools in the village, but the total number was still very small. In 1921, amongst a total number of 33669 females in the northern district of the New Territories, only 674 claimed to be able to read. The rate of female literacy was then 2%. By 1931, the rate had increased to 3.5%. The different rates of female literacy among the different age groups at that date can be seen in the following table:24
All females aged
TABLE I % with ability to read and write 5 and over 3.74 11 and over 4.14 16 and over 3.69 21 and over 2.81·
The table shows that except among those below 11, there was a higher percentage of literacy among the younger generations, which also indicates that there was a gradual growth of female literacy from about 1920, when those who were at the age of 21 in the 1931 census had just reached their school-age.
260
·
J
:
examinations, Sheung Shui lagged behind other villages in allowing girls to attend schools, perhaps it was due to the conservatism of our ancestors". The rate of female literacy before the turn of the century was almost zero. The change in educational concepts which led to the beginning of a literate female population in the village was brought about by the efforts of the Hong Kong and New Territory Evangelization Society and the early Christian convert from the village just mentioned above. The Society had initially fared badly in the village as the villagers were strongly opposed to Christianity. In 1912, it managed to rent a house in the village to set up a small class of fifteen girls taught by the two ladies already mentioned from urban Hong Kong.21 In 1914, this school became the first and for a time the only government subsidized school for girls in the New Territories. Unfortunately, the school had to be closed in 1917 as the two lady teachers left the village, one for Sham Chun and another for Shanghai.22 Some of the girls from this school were admitted into the other village schools such as the Yun Sheng Chia-shou
and Ming
:
I
Te Tang ** and thereafter girls continued to be enrolled in the different schools in the village, but the total number was still very small. In 1921, amongst a total number of 33669 females in the northern district of the New Territories, only 674 claimed to be able to read · The rate of female literacy was then 2%. By 1931, the rate had increased to 3.5%. The different rates of female literacy among the different age groups at that date can be seen in the following table:24
All females aged
TABLE I
% with ability to read and write
5. and over
11. and over
16 and over
ii.
21 and over
3.74
H
4.14
3.69
2.81
·
The table shows that except among those below 11, there was a higher percentage of literacy among the younger generations, which also indicates that there was a gradual growth of female literacy from about 1920, when those who were at the age of 21 in the 1931 census had just reached their school-age.
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