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11. NUMBER OF UNEDUCATED CHILDREN IN THE COLONY.-The difficulty in estimating the number of children remaining uneducated lies in the absence of statistics as regards the number of children of local school-going age (6 to 16 years) actually residing in the Colony. The estimate of the latter number will always partake of the nature of guess-work when there are no details provided by a Census. According to the Census of 1881, the number of children of local school-age amounted to 9.26 per cent. of the population. As the Census of 1891, which gave that percentage as 9.90, shewed an increase of .64 per cent. for the ten years, it will be safe to take the proportion of children of school- going age in 1896 at 10.22 per cent. of the population, which, according to the partial Census of January 1897, amounted to 236,382 persons residing in the Colony in 1896. Therefore, the number of children of school-going age residing in the Colony in 1896 may be estimated as amounted to 24,158 children. Now the proportion of girls to the total of children of school-going age was, according to the Census of 1891, equal to 47.32 per cent. Taking then 48.08 as the normal percentage of girls, I estimate that, among the 24,158 children of local school-going age residing in the Colony, in the year 1896, there were about 11,625 girls and 12,533 boys. But the records show that there were, in 1896 under instruction in Schools of all descriptions (the Police School excepted) in the Colony, only 3,060 girls and 6,287 boys. It appears therefore that 8,565 girls and 6,246 boys failed to attend school. It would, however, be unfair to put down the whole of these 14,811 children as remaining uneducated because the estimate is based on 10 years' schooling whilst the mass of the Chinese children remain in school but 3 or 4 years. Accordingly the number of those children who remain entirely uneducated may not exceed, say, 7,400.

12. RESULTS OF THE ANNUAL EXAMINATIONS.-As far as the Grant-in-Aid Schools are concerned, the detailed results of the examination of 86 of these Schools will be found summarized, as usual, in Tables X. and XI. appended to this report, where the grants allowed and the percentage of scholars passed in each School in 1896 are stated and compared with the results of the preceding year, and in Table XII. which records the percentage of passes gained in each subject. As regards the Depart- mental Schools, Tables II to VII. supply the most important particulars. Five of the Grant-in-Aid Schools, having been temporarily closed, had no scholars to bring under examinations and in the case of thirteen other Schools the annual grant had to be assessed on the basis of the average earnings gained by examination during the previous three years because sudden and continued illness prevented my completing the examinations before the close of the school year.

13. BELILIOS PUBLIC SCHOOL.-The annual examination of this School shewed good and solid results, in the Chinese as well as in the English Divisions. The work of this Institution being happily free from all trammels of competitive examinations and keeping, in its English Division, at present within the range of an elementary School, is absolutely free from cramming. There are consequently no specially showy results in the case of individuals to refer to, but the attainments of each class as a whole showed a high average such as testifies to the ability and efficiency of the staff. Though there is a fair sprinkling of aliens in the English Division, English and English only is spoken both in class and on the play-ground, and the speed with which some Indian and Eurasian children learned to speak English is surprising. The great attention bestowed on object lessons in the lower and on recitation and memorizing in the upper classes, is the principal cause of this success. establishment of a school library, the purchase of a piano and the popularity of the physical drill exercises have done much to brighten school-life in this Institution, but there is still one desire of staff and children unfulfilled viz. the acquisition of a tennis court for which there is ample room on the premises.

The

14. DEPARTMENTAL DISTRICT SCHOOLS. The number and work of the Government Schools has not been been diminished during the year, though for many months the attendance was sadly reduced. Some of these Schools which are situated in town have felt the effects of increased attention being of late given by Chinese parents to English studies. In some places, however, like Yaumati and Stanley, the demand for English teaching is disproportionately small and insignificant.

15. GRANT-IN-AID SCHOOLS.-The year 1896 has proved a most unfortunate period in the history of local education so far as Schools attended by Chinese scholars are concerned. It was not merely the recurrence of the plague and not solely the measures taken, and rightly so, against over- crowding, but it was principally the abnormal rise of house rent which adversely affected Chinese and Anglo-Chinese Schools and their attendance. All such Schools and particularly Chinese Girls-Schools lost a large proportion of their scholars, and five Schools had to be closed until the end of the year. At the same time when the Chinese Schools suffered such unusual stress, the other Schools attended by non-Chinese children, remained in a normal condition with the exception of the British Kowloon College. This School, which all along has laboured under unusual difficulties, had its School-house levelled to the ground by a typhoon and though the School was continued in temporary quarters, it had to be closed at the end of the year. Although the British Kowloon College had from the begin- ning an experimental character, it has shewn distinct signs of permanent vitality. In view of the steady growth of the European settlement which has sprung up on the Peninsula and in view of the sacrifices of time, work and money, which the School Committee have made from year to year, His Excellency the Governor has recognized the reasonableness of the Committee's request that the School be either converted into a Government School reserved for the children of the European residents of the Peninsula in the same way in which so many Schools on the Island are virtually reserved for the

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