Sessional_Paper_1932 — Page 69

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QUEEN'S COLLEGE AND KING'S COLLEGE

16. In pursuance of a policy of encouraging the spread of elementary education rather than of giving increased impetus solely to the spread of higher education, the closing of Queen's College, and the sale of the building and site is recommended. The present King's College should be renamed Queen's College, and should be a purely secondary school for boys, with graduate masters only. The present Queen's College is an unsuitable building, and owing to the age of the fabric is expensive to maintain, and the Commissioners can see no necessity for the provision of two large colleges, each providing secondary as well as elementary education, at such close quarters to each other. The name of Queen's College commands respect in the minds of the Chinese and the College has a long tradition, whereas King's College is as yet in its infancy. The latter is built to accommodate 1,000 pupils, but as it is unlikely that it would be, from the beginning of the new scheme, filled to capacity by secondary classes, it has been suggested elsewhere that one section of the building be temporarily set aside for the Government Training College. As an alternative there might be temporarily some elementary classes.

17. The graduate masters at present at Queen's College should be transferred to King's Collge, though some economy should be effected in staff by the amalgamation of the classes and the raising of the maximum number per class to 35. The Commissioners consider that for this education of senior boys the employment of men teachers is advis- able. When the present Headmaster of King's College retires there would not be any necessity to fill this appointment. it carries with it a salary of £1,100 to £1,300.

18. It will probably be necessary at some future date for Government to build a primary school to serve the western district of Hong Kong and to care for the primary classes of King's and Queen's Colleges. The building of such a school should be financed out of the sale of the present Queen's College site, which is extremely valuable.

VICTORIA BRITISH SCHOOL AND QUARRY BAY SCHOOL.

19. These are mixed primary schools which prepare British children for secondary education at the Central British School, Kowloon. The schools are at comparatively close quarters, and in proportion to the number of pupils are very expensive to the Govern- ment to maintain. A considerable proportion of the pupils of Victoria British School are children of Government servants. In the view of the Commissioners the expenditure upon these two schools does not warrant the maintenance of both in the same area, and they recommend the closing down of the Victoria British School and the amalgamation of the pupils with those of Quarry Bay School, where there is sufficient accommodation, and where the school itself is of more modern construction. It might be necessary to transfer one member of the Staff from Victoria British to Quarry Bay School. Transport is now

so excellent that it will entail no hardship for the children, who formerly attended Victoria British School, to go to Quarry Bay School. It might be possible in the future for the Government to open a primary school to serve the western districts of Hong Kong.

20. The building and site of Victoria British School could either be sold, or form the site of a new and much needed District School to serve the Chinese population of the eastern districts of Hong Kong.

VERNACULAR MIDDLE SCHOOL

21. The Commissioners have considered the evidence which has been laid before them on the subject of this school, and have come to the conclusion that under present conditions the school is a luxury. In the scope of its work it is not different from King's College, to which it is in close proximity Greater attention is paid to the Chinese Classics, but English is also taught. The Commissioners feel that the policy of the Government in vernacular education should follow that of the Nationalist Government of China, and that the somewhat special education, which is given at the Vernacular Middle School, should not be provided by Government. However praiseworthy it may be to preserve the classics it is not the business of Government to do so. The primary con- cern of Government in education is to give to its youthful citizens the mental training that will enable them to earn their bread and butter. Even if it be maintained that the