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Chinese as the medium of instruction in Classes 8 and 7 of the Anglo- Chinese schools may be desirable and that an experiment in this direction should forthwith be made in a number of Anglo-Chinese schools.

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We support the views expressed in the memorandum of the Heads of Grant Schools (attached as Appendix I to the Committee's report) and in connexion with paragraph 3 (f) on page 9 thereof are of opinion that it is desirable that the prospects of vernacular teachers should be so improved as to attract students passing out from Anglo-Chinese schools to the career of a vernacular school teacher, in order that among other things there should be a sufficient supply of teachers to teach English in the last year of the primary vernacular school."

5. We regret that this report is not unanimous since Mr. G. R. Sayer, whose views are set out in the minority report attached, found himself unable to support most of our recommendations.

R. E. LINDSELL (Chairman),

D. J. SLOSS,

L. FORSTER,

Appendix I.

F. SHORT,

LI TSE FONG,

C. G. SOLLIS.

MEMORANDUM ON THE TRAINING OF TEACHERS

BY

REPRESENTATIVE HEADMASTERS OF GRANT-IN-AID SCHOOLS.

The question of training teachers in Hong Kong covers:

(1) Vernacular Teachers,

(2) Student Teachers,

(3) Graduate Teachers.

Vernacular Teachers.

(a) Vernacular Teachers teaching in the Primary Schools and in the lower

classes of the Secondary Schools.

(b) Vernacular Teachers fitted to teach language, literature and history

in the higher classes of Secondary Schools.

To each of these groups one preliminary remark seems to apply. It is a matter of common knowledge that the written language of China is at present, and has been for the past decade or so undergoing very rapid evolution. The issue is sharply set between the older classical school, with its enormous insistence on memory, its reluctance to depart from old, stereotyped forms, and its very com- pressed and difficult style; and the newer school, inseparably connected with the name of HU SHIH, which has developed the freer, easier, yet beautiful modern style. An apt parallel lies between the present state of things in China and the Europe of four centuries ago, which witnessed the rise of vernacular literature.