Sessional_Paper_1884-1885 — Page 250

No. 1.

(2.)

Report by the Head Master of the Government Central School.

247

GOVERNMENT CENTRAL SCHOOL,

HONGKONG, 3rd January, 1885.

SIR,-I have the honour to forward for the Blue Book the Annual Returns and Report belonging to this Department.

1. The past year has been an eventful one, for the school.

2. On 16th February a large number of former scholars of the Central School, presented an Address to the late headmaster, the Honourable F. STEWART, LL.D. and at the same time announced the foundation in his honour of a scholarship, to be called the "STEWART Scholarship." Their committee have decided to award this Scholarship annually to the boy, who gets the highest marks in all English Subjects, together with Translation from and into Chinese. The Scholarship is intended to be of the value of $100 a year for three years; but for the present, the first will be the only instalment.

On 26th April, His Excellency the Governor laid the foundation stone of the new Victoria College; which event was hailed with joy by all friends of the Central School, as well as by masters and scholars, who are anxious to reap the advantages, to health and progress in education, which will be afforded by the fine building now about to be erected. The conversion of the ground selected, into a site for the building and play-ground, a large and solid undertaking, is nearly completed and the foundations of the walls of the building have appeared above ground.

3. The first examination for the Government Scholarship, of £200 a year for prosecution of studies in England, granted by the Colonial Government, at the suggestion of His Excellency the Governor, was held in December. There were only two candidates both from the Central School; the successful one being Mr. W. BOSMAN with 788 out of 1,100 possible marks, while Mr. C. F. G. GRIMBLE obtained 638 marks. This result must be considered very satisfactory, when it is remembered that the boys are at the lower limit of age (only just turned 17) and that they had barely 8 months in which to read for the Scholarship. The special classes, required by the extra subjects for the scholar- ship, entailed extra hours of instruction outside the usual school hours. The Literature subjects and Latin were taken by myself; the Mathematical subjects by Mr. ARTHUR (Acting Second Master); and English History by Mr. FALCONER (Acting Superintendent of Victoria Gaol) who since September kindly gave his services on this occasion, and for the Chinese Translation in the First Class.

4. On the 1st of June Mr. CALDWELL resigned his appointment; having obtained employment outside the Government Service. During 4 years Mr. CALDWELL proved an efficient and successful master in the Preparatory and Lower Schools, his classes obtaining a high percentage of marks.

5. I regret to have to report that the school was deprived, by death, of the valuable services of Mr. MCKINNEY. Mr. MCKINNEY joined the Colonial Service in 1870, and having served successively in the Police Force and Survey Department was appointed to the Central School in December, 1878. To a large extent self-educated, it speaks very highly for the determination and perseverance of his character, that he succeeded in becoming, not only an excellent master in English and Mathematical Subjects, but also a fair Chinese scholar above the average of students.

6. The permanent loss of these two masters, together with the previous temporary transfer of Mr. FALCONER to the Gaol, and Mr. HUTCHISON to the Post Office, has naturally told on the progress of the school this year.

7. Mr. DEALY, successor to Mr. CALDWELL, arrived on the 1st of December. He was trained at S. Mary's Hammersmith, and has been in charge of a school in Derby. Just before he left England, Mr. DEALY passed the Intermediate Examination for the degree of B. A. at the London University, being placed in the First Division.

8. Since the 1st of June Mr. CHAPE, who acted successfully in this capacity for twelve months on a previous occasion, was Acting Assistant Master, in lieu of Mr. CALDWELL until Mr. DEALY'S arrival, and is now continuing his services, until the arrival of Mr. JONES, Mr. MCKINNEY's successor.

9. The following changes are to be noted among the Chinese Assistants, Mr. ALARAKIA WAS transferred to the Observatory, Mr. LI KING PAU to the Public Works Department and Mr. WAT PAK'TAI to the Registrar General's Office.

10. As many difficulties were found to attend the custom of allowing boys the use of books, which on promotion or on finally leaving the school they returned into store; a new plan has been with His EXCELLENCY's permission adopted this year, by which the boys pay two dollars a piece extra per annum ($12 instead of $10), and in return for this become possessors of all the books they require, much to the gratification of the boys and with some gain to the Treasury.