Sessional_Paper_1938 — Page 172

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It may be objected that this is very ambitious, and would require very much more expense than is at present incurred.

The reply is that, while a proper Teachers' College is the ideal, even under present circumstances much could be done through a revision and improvement of the courses given through the Evening Institute. The cost might be met

(a) by a subsidy from Government.

spent; or

Such a subsidy would be money well

(b) by a curtailment of Government Secondary Education and the ap- plication of the money thus saved towards the improvement of Primary Education; and

(c) by a modest scheme of scholarships, to be held for one or two years at Chinese Universities. These might, in the long run, prove of very great value.

This suggestion of Teachers' Scholarships at Chinese Universities deserves even more thought when one comes to consider the second class of Vernacular Teacher mentioned above, i.e., Vernacular Teachers fitted to teach language, literature and history in the higher classes of Secondary Schools.

It is hardly an exaggeration to say that Hong Kong does not produce, and makes no attempt to produce men of this calibre. It is the general experience that it is almost impossible to procure a thoroughly competent Vernacular Teacher for the top classes in Hong Kong Secondary Schools, and doubly difficult to secure such a man trained in Hong Kong. The demand for this kind of man is not large; still, such men are employed, and should, therefore, be trained in the Colony.

These highly qualified Teachers should know English-no educated man in any country is satisfied to know only one language. This would enable them to receive their specifically pedagogical training with other Teachers in Hong Kong. Here also it would be of great value if a modest scholarship scheme made it possible for them to complete their Chinese education at a Chinese University.

Student Teachers.

"who is

A "Student Teacher" in the wording of the Grant Code is one studying at one of the Teachers' Classes at the Technical (now Evening) Institute ". At present these Teachers' Classes are open only to such students as have already passed the Matriculation or School Leaving (Class 1) Certificate Examination.

We wish to record at once our conviction that these Teachers' Classes should NOT be open to young men and women who have merely finished their School Certificate (Class 2) Examination.

We consider that the future Teachers of the Colony should have AT LEAST one year's further schooling after Class 2, independent of their specifically professional training.

educational system of very willing and very Indeed, supplemented

These Student Teachers play a very large part in the the Colony. They are for the most part very painstaking, industrious. They do admirable work in the lower classes. by a stiffening of European and/or Graduate Teachers, we consider that they form a more efficient staff for the lower half of the Secondary School than a staff of Europeans or of Graduates. We sincerely hope that nothing will be done to dis- courage Teachers of this type; but that, on the contrary, steps will be taken to assist them in every way.

We should be glad to see much of the money spent, or proposed to be spent on the training of Graduate Teachers, diverted to the better training of these Student Teachers, because: