Sessional_Paper_1903 — Page 100

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Advantage of this has been taken, so far, only by the authorities of the Free Church, who hold flourishing Sunday School classes here every Sunday.

Boys and Girls.

The boys and girls in the school are taught side by side during the school hours, but are kept rigorously and carefully separated during play time. There seems to me a certain amount of advantage in letting them work together, as it introduces a healthy element of competition.

Play Ground.

I must point out that a play ground 7 yards square is hardly big enough for a lot of young Britons with a natural leaning towards British sports. I venture to hope that the year 1903 will see a more spacious play ground provided.

Retrospective.

*

* *

It was with something like dismay that I discovered on opening school that my thirty-nine pupils varied in age from five to seventeen years, and that it would be necessary to divide them into eight separate classes. It is a significant fact that not more than two children used the word "Sir" when addressing me.

* * * Since that time there has been effected a marked improvement in the behaviour and de- meanour of both boys and girls and I maintain that, by this alone if by no- thing else, the school has justified its existence. The actual amount of school work got through is a long way short of what would have been ac- complished at a similar school in England during the same period. Allow- ance must however be made for the following--(1) the climate; (2) the difficulty in getting books and appliances from England, the long time taken to bring them out, and the caution necessary when ordering; (3) the time taken in finally classifying the pupils, and in evolving a modus operandi for the teaching of eight classes by three teachers; (4) the illness of a member of the staff, and in short all the difficulties incidental to the starting of a new school.

I have reason to hope that the coming year will see considerably greater progress made, and that the educational machine will work with a greater degree of system, smoothness, and regularity.

THE BELILIOS SCHOOL.

* * * * *"

The staff of the Belilios School was strengthened considerably in the years 1900 and 1901 by the appointments of Miss BATEMAN and Miss CHUN YUT. In the latter half of 1901 the fees were practically doubled, now averaging about one dollar a month. In 1902 the Kowloon School withdrew a certain number of girls and small children from the Belilios School. From the following table it seems clear that the improvement in the teaching does not weigh with parents against the countervailing disadvantage of increased fees, or counter-attractions else- where.

TOTAL AVERAGE ENROLMENT OF SCHOLARS DURING PERIODS OF 4 MONTHS :-

Jan.-Apr. 100. Sept.-Dec. '00. Jan.-Apr. 01. | Sept.-Dec. '01. Jan.-Apr. 02. | Sept.-Dec. '02.

675

479

475

405

692

650

I have eliminated the figures for the middle period of each year, as they are made irregular by the recurrence of plague. The figures are arrived at by adding together the total Enrolment of each of the four months. The last three periods represent the time during which the higher fees have been charged. The last peri- od is that in which the competition of the Kowloon School has been felt,