Sessional_Paper_1934 — Page 73

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(1) INTRODUCTORY.

Following on the inauguration of the Junior Technical School in Hong Kong, it was felt that the next step in the setting up of a system of Technical Education for the Colony was the investigation of the potential value of various types of Trade Schools, and as a preliminary to the possible establishment of such schools the follow- ing work was carried out.

(1) The Principal investigated, and issued a report on, the local conditions

of apprenticeship in certain trades (Report No. 2).

(2) The Principal visited (in August 1933) the Trade Schools and other Technical Institutions of the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States, with a view to studying their organisation, equipment, and cost.

(3) The present Report was prepared to show how far the methods and or- ganisation of these schools could be applied to the needs of the workers of Hong Kong.

(2) SCHOOLS Visited.

The schools visited can be divided into three sharply defined groups.

(1) The light engineering schools at Singapore, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh.

(2) The Technical School at Kuala Lumpur.

(3) The Carpentry Schools at Bagan Serai and Johore, the latter including

a tailoring section.

In addition, a most interesting visit was paid to the Central Workshops of the Federated Malay States Railway at Kuala Lumpur, this being one of the few industrial establishments in the Federated Malay States where a systematic training is given to apprentices.

(3) THE LIGHT ENGINEERING SCHOOLS.

The schools very moderately claim that their object is "to enable their students to earn a living by following a trade". Actually, they aspire to do much more than this, and are producing a new type of mechanic who should do much to raise the level of craftsmanship in the light engineering and automobile trades. Great care is taken that no boy is allowed to specialise in too narrow a field, and in addition to a really sound knowledge of one trade, any passed student should be able to tackle almost any metal work with which he may be faced.

The date of opening the various schools is as follows.

(1) Kuala Lumpur

(2) Ipoh

(3) Singapore

(4) Penang

1926

1930

1930

1931

While each of the light engineering schools has a distinct personality of its own, the fact that they have all been developed from the original School at Kuala Lumpur is at once noticeable.