216
A Brief History of Technical Education in Hong Kong
Lion Rock. To give you an idea what it was like in the vicinity of the College: the Wan Chai streets and alleys seemed far more cluttered in those days with numerous bustling stalls and small shops. I could go to a barber's shop in the then narrow Tin Lok Lane, not far from Wood Road, and have a haircut, a shampoo, a shave, and a manicure for $2.70 (all dollars quoted in this paper are Hong Kong dollars). Being a generous chap, I gave a 30 cents tip. The College was quite hemmed in in those days, and the quadrangle, with teaching accommodation all around, only allowed for limited parking. Many teachers did not have cars then.
Students, however, still played basketball but under restrained conditions. They also played the Chinese game of ‘kicking the shuttlecock’, which I also enjoyed playing.
The Hong Kong Funeral Parlour was then just around the corner from the College. At various times during the day, brass bands leading funeral processions along the street would strike up tunes such as "Abide With Me", "Polly Wolly Doodle All The Day", and "Yes, We Have No Bananas". There was a small flower market close by. Even when the College moved to Hung Hom, in Kowloon, there was a funeral pavilion next door. This raised a certain amount of consternation regarding our feng shui, as relatives of staff fell sick. We had to rearrange our desks.
At the old Technical College in Wood Road, there was both a senior and a junior staff room, with about 10 of us teachers in each. Student-teacher contact hours varied from about 21 to 25 (or even more) a week, and our Principal insisted, at one time, that all classes had a short weekly test first thing every Monday morning. When I first arrived by ship on a four-year tour in the mid-1950s, in what was a rather colonial atmosphere, I was impressed by the students' ability in mathematics, science, and draughtsmanship. English was not up to the same standard. Metaphorically, students still did not step on the teacher's shadow.
There was sometimes talk by Chinese teachers of students being more receptive to Chinese methods of imparting knowledge, such as more dictating of...
216
A Brief History of Technical Education in Hong Kong
Lion Rock. To give you an idea what it was like in the vicinity of the College: the Wan Chai streets and alleys seemed far more cluttered in those days with
numerous bustling stalls and small shops. I could go to a barber's shop in the then narrow Tin Lok Lane, not far from Wood Road, and have a haircut, a shampoo,
a shave and a manicure for $2.70 (all dollars quoted in this paper are Hong Kong dollars). Being a generous chap I gave a 30 cents tip. The College was quite * hemmed in in those days and the quadrangle, with teaching accommodation all around, only allowed for limited parking. Many teachers did not have cars then.
Students, however, still played basketball but under restrained conditions. They also played the Chinese game of ‘kicking the shuttlecock' which I also enjoyed
playing.
."
The Hong Kong Funeral Parlour then was just around the corner from the College. At various times during the day brass bands, leading funeral processions along the street, would strike up tunes such as, Abide With Me, Polly Wolly Doodle All The Day and, Yes, We Have No Bananas. There was a small
flower market close by. Even when the College moved to Hung Hom, in Kowloon, there was a funeral pavilion next door. This raised a certain amount of
consternation regarding our feng shui as relatives of staff fell sick. We had to
rearrange our desks.
At the old Technical College in Wood Road there was both a senior and a junior staff room with about 10 of us teachers in each. Student-teacher contact hours varied from about 21 to 25 (or even more) a week and our Principal insisted, at one time, that all classes had a short weekly test first thing every Monday morning. When I first arrived by ship on a four-year tour in the mid-1950s, in what was a rather colonial atmosphere, I was impressed by the students' ability in mathematics, science and draughtsmanship. English was not up to the same standard. Metaphorically, students still did not step on the teacher's shadow.
There was sometimes talk by Chinese teachers of students being more receptive to Chinese methods of imparting knowledge. Such as more dictating of
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