Sessional_Paper_1892 — Page 372

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9.-FEMALE EDUCATION.-Though to a certain extent still in a backward state, female education is evidently making rapid strides in Hongkong to reach a normal condition. As to the proportion of boys and girls under instruction, one could not expect hitherto to see the two sexes equally represented in the Schools of a Colony like ours, where the mass of the population (the Chinese), whilst generally appreciating the value of a scholarly education in the case of their boys, are yet to a great extent sceptics as to the good that their daughters can get by attending school, or, looking upon girls generally as destined by nature to be merely domestic slaves or drudges, dread the enfranchising effects of female education. Nevertheless the unceasing efforts made by the Government, particularly through the Grant-in-Aid Scheme, to enlarge and improve from year to year the opportunities offered to the people to get a gratuitous education (including industrial needlework teaching) for their daughters, have had good effect with the Chinese who, with all their national prejudices against female education, are too shrewd to reject advantages offered free of expense. In 1851, when the Colony was ten years old and the population amounted to 32,983 people, there were 219 scholars under instruction in Public Schools, of whom 193 were boys and 26 girls. In 1861, when the population had risen to 119,321 people, the attendance of the Public Schools rose to 1,017 boys and 251 girls. In 1871, the population numbering 124,198 souls, there were, as proved by the Census of 5th May, 1871, as many as 2,230 boys and 476 girls under instruction. Two years afterwards (1873) the Grant-in-Aid Scheme came into operation, and from that time onward the proportion of girls to boys improved rapidly, with tolerably steady regularity, as will be seen from the subjoined Table shewing the proportion of boys and girls attending schools subject to the supervision of the Education Department from 1873 to 1891. It will be observed that in 1891 there were 2,791 girls under instruction in the schools referred to. Of these 2,791 girls, as many as 2,532 attended Grant-in-Aid Schools whilst only 259 attended Government Schools. As a matter of fact, the extension of female education in the Colony is almost entirely due to the Grant-in-Aid system and to the efforts of the local Missions, which are vigorously pushing on education both in town and the villages, and latterly striving also to bring the girls of the boat population, in Yaumati, Hunghom and Shaukiwan, under the influence of education.

The only portion of the population whose girls were hitherto neglected by the Missions were the Eurasians, and to supplement this defect the Education Department has of late been making special efforts by means of the new Government Central School for Girls. Female education is, however, not merely expanding as regards the number of girls gathered into schools, but the quality of the instruction given in them is also improving from year to year, and in this respect, the stimulus applied by the Belilios Medal and Prize Fund deserves special mention.

PROPORTION of BOYS and GIRLS under instruction in Schools subject to the supervision of the Education Department.

Percentage of Scholars being Girls.

Scholars under instruction.

Year.

Population.

Boys.

Girls.

Total of Scholars.

1873,

121,985

1,976

304

2,280

13.33

1874,

2,282

281

2,563

10.96

1875,

"

.....

2,177

429

2,606

*16.46

1876,

139,144

2,379

543

2,922

18.58

1877,

2,520

624

3,144

19.84

1878,

Se

2,544

578

3,122

18.51

1879;

*****

2,850

610

3,460

17.63

1880,

160,402

3,187

699

3,886

17.98

1881,

3,364

859

4,223

20.34

1882,

166,433

3,941

1,241

5,182

23.94

1883,

173,475

4,120

1,477

5,597

26.38

1884,

181,529

4,238

1,647

5,885

27.98

1885,

190,594

4,329

1,700

6,029

28.19

1886,

200,990

4,161

1,683

5,844

28.79

212,951

4,195

1,779

5,974

29.77

1888,

215,800

4,342

1,916

6,258

30.77

1889,

194,482

4,991

2,116

7,107

29.77

1890,

4,846

1891,

DO

221,441

2,324

7,170

32.41

4,881

2,791

7,672

36.38

10. ATTENDANCE AND NUMBER OF UNEDUCATED CHILDREN. For the first time in the history of the Colony, the Census of 1891 provided, at my suggestion, the means of ascertaining the exact number of children of local school-going age (6 to 16 years) in the Colony. The result is a saddening revelation. So far as the resident civil population is concerned, the result is indeed very near to what, by a rough estimate, I annually calculated it to be. In his Census Report of 15th August, 1891, (19) the Registrar General states that on 20th May, 1891, "there were in Hongkong, of persons of school-going age (6 to 16 years), 783 Europeans or Americans, 184 nationalities other than Europeans, Americans or Chinese, and 21,331 Chinese (children), making a total of 22,298 (children of school- going age)." Referring (in § 20) to a Return, taken on the Census day, of children actually found present in School, the Registrar General further remarks, "This return shows that on the 20th May as many as 8,085 children actually attended school, though it was a rainy day such as, I am informed, keeps about 10 per cent. of children from school. If this 10 per cent. be added, the number of children