Sessional_Paper_1902 — Page 495

No. 343.

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Appendix A.

CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO THE PROPOSED

ESTABLISHMENT OF (1) A BRITISH SCHOOL;

(2) A CHINESE HIGH SCHOOL.

GOVERNOR TO SECRETARY OF STATE.

GOVERNMENT HOUSE, HONGKONG, 3rd September, 1901.

SIR,

I have the honour to forward a copy of a petition received by me and signed by over one hundred of the principal British inhabitants of the Colony.

2. The petition prays that a school may be established for Europeans only. The statements made in the petition are in accordance with the facts, and hav- ing very carefully considered the question myself, and submitted the petition for examination and report by the late and present Inspectors of Schools, I find my- self forced to the conclusion that, however opposed the proposal may be to the accepted theory of State aided education, the establishment of a school for Euro- pean children is in this Colony highly expedient.

3. Putting aside the deteriorating moral effects of the mixture of the two races in school-a deterioration I venture to say not confined to European boys- it is evident that European scholars who are obliged to regulate their progress by that of their Chinese classmates, who are painfully endeavouring to assimilate West- ern education taught to them in a foreign language, are placed at a serious disad- vantage. Under such a system I can understand the failure of the scheme of Government Scholarships adopted during the administration of Sir GEORGE BOWEN, and abandoned in 1893.

4. It is important for the Colony that English boys should learn Chinese, and that Chinese should learn English, but the result of the present system of mixed teaching is that English boys leave the Government School half instructed and Chinese boys leave knowing neither their own language nor English. The report of the last examination held at the Queen's College, which I attach,* shows. this clearly.

5. I have spoken on this subject many times with the Bishop of Victoria, who has had a long experience of educational matters in China, and I agree with him that English should be taught to the Chinese students as a special subject; that they should have some knowledge of the characters of their own language before they enter upon the study of English and that their instruction in the ordinary Western school curriculum should be imparted in the Chinese language. There are, I understand, an ample supply of suitable books for the purpose translated into the Chinese language.

* Not printed.

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