Sessional_Paper_1932 — Page 67

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UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS, EXAMINATIONS GRANTS AND FEES.

11. The Commissioners find that in all those schools, whether Government or non- Government, where secondary education is provided, the pupils are entered for the Hong Kong University Junior Local, Senior Local, and Matriculation Examinations. The University fee for each candidate is $12 for the Junior Local, and $20 each for the Senior Local and Matriculation examinations. The Government pays these entrance fees for all candidates from Government and all candidates from Grant-in-Aid Schools, this being in addition to the Local Examinations Grants awarded annually to each of the Grant-in-Aid Schools concerned. In the Report of the Director of Education for the year 1929 the following figures are given :—

Local Examinations Grant to Grant-in-Aid Schools ........ $ 14,450 Entrance Fees to Local Examinations for Grant-in-Aid Schools

7,715

In the Government schools 92 pupils were presented for the Senior and Matriculation Examinations at a cost to Government in Fees of

1,840

122 pupils were presented for the Junior Local Examina-

tions at a cost to Government in Fees of

1,464

In the Government schools all pupils in the two senior classes are obliged by regula- tion to enter for these examinations. A great number of the pupils who take the Matriculation examinations have no intention of entering the University even if they obtain their matriculation certificate. In case of failure the pupil is at liberty to present himself again the next year, again at the expense of the Government; and indeed there seems no obstacle to his continuing to do so indefinitely.

12. The Commissioners have considered the evidence before them and make the following recommendations :-

(a) That in future the entrance examination fees for all University examinations should be paid by the candidates themselves. Should the Government find itself unable to comply with this recommendation then they strongly urge that all students who present themselves more than once for the same examination should after the first time pay their own entrance fees.

(b) That the Junior Local and Senior Local Examinations be abolished, and that the University be approached by the Director of Education with a view to instituting an ex- amination for a School Leaving Certificate. The Matriculation examination should remain as a means of entry to the University, and should be only for those who have every intention if they pass of proceeding to the University. As the system of entering all pupils in the Senior classes for the University Examinations would appear to be of value in preventing possible over-attention to brilliant pupils at the expense of the backward, the schools should, in view of the recent high percentage of failures in the University Examinations, endeavour by a high standard of annual examination to prepare for the outside examina- tions only those who have a reasonable prospect of passing.

(c) That the Vice-Chancellor of the University be approached with a view to restrict- ing to a reasonable minimum the study of Chinese classics necessary for the Local Examinations.

SUBSIDIZED SCHOOLS.

13. The Commissioners have already stated that in their opinion too much is spent on secondary or higher education in proportion to the amount spent on elementary or primary education. They would therefore deprecate a policy of curtailment of subsidies to private vernacular schools. Rather they would urge an increase of subsidies as soon as the finances of the Colony permit. The ultimate ideal to be kept in view is free elementary education for all.

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF HEADS OF SCHOOLS.

14. In the larger schools the Head has the services of a clerk, and, if the present system remains operative, the same method should be applied to Belilios Public School,