68
REPORT OF THE INSPECTOR
OF SCHOOLS.
The report of the Inspector of Schools, for the year 1900, is published in the Gazette. We make the following extracts :-
Page
THE HONGKONG WEEKĹŸ PRESS AND
GENERAL STATISTICS.-Compared with the year 1899 there is, except in the Government English schools and in the Grant-in-Aid Portuguese schools, a decrease in the enrol ment in each class of school. In the case of the English Grant-in-Aid schools this may be accounted for by some schools, hitherto free, charging fees. In the case of the Chinese schools it is partly due to an actual decrease in the number of schools at work during the year, as although there is a nominal increase of one on the roll of Grant-in-Aid schools there is an increase of nine in the number of schools
temporarily closed. The following tables enable a more detailed comparison to be drawn between the year 1890, the year 1893-the last normal year, as the statistics for every year since have been affected by the plague-and 1900.
Victoria
1890.
Government and Grant-in-Aid Schools.
Chinese.
English.
The subjoined table shows the present posi- tion of the unaided schools for Chinese (Kai-fong Schools) compared with their position in 1893.
Unaided Schools for Chinese.
[July 20, 1901.
be the duty of the Government to undertako | changes in the teaching staff. The attendance the work.
at the Yaumati Government – School has doubled, and will no doubt continue to increase. The erection of a school build. ing, the need for which was referred to in my last report, has been sanctioned. system of partial payment by results has worked most satisfactorily, and there is a very marked improvement in those schools in which it is in force.
Victoria
1893.
1900. Schools, Scholars. Schools. Scholars. 110 2,039 104 1 934 131
Villages of H'kong 17- Kowloon
Total
事
252
7
17
305
15
144 2,596
379
126 2,441
The
GRANT-IN-AID SCHOOLS.-The number of schools on the rolls is 97 compared with 96 in 1899. The following schools were closed during the year-1. The Roman Catholic Mission Nova Escola Portuguesa, a Scho Portu guese children. 2. The London Missionary Society Kau-ü-fong, girls' school for Chinese (Class I), 3. The Victoria English School for girls (Class III).
The schools in Victoria have maintained their position very well, and the only way I can account for the loss under "Villages of Hong- kong' is by the increase in Grant-in-Aid Schools there during the last seven years. In future care should be taken that the Grant-in- Aid Schools do not interfere unduly with these Unaided Schools, and the masters of the latter The following new schools have been opened: schools should be encouraged to report cases-1. The Church Missionary Kan-i-fong, girls' where their pupils have been attracted from school for Chinese (Class 1). 2. The London them by the opening of Free Grant-in-Aid Missionary Training Home for girls, a school Schools.
in Class II for giving an European education in Chinese. 3. The French Convent School, a sohool of very old standing for European girls. 4. The Diocesan Girls' School, a Church of England School, principally for Eurasian girls.
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE.- The average daily attendance in 1900 was 4,630. That in Grant in-Aid Schools alone was 3.871. The corres-
Schools. Scholars. Schools. Scholars. ponding figures for 1899 are 4,418 and 3,683,
51 3,140 Villages of H'kong 19 484 Kowloon
Government and Grant-in-Aid Schoola.
38
15
3
2,489 189
16
487
1
Total...
Viotoria
86 4,111 19 2,716 Portuguese.
Total. Schools. Scholars. Schools, Scholars.
4
280
70
5,909
Villages of H'kong Kowloon
22
17
673 525
I Total
4
230
109 7,107
1893.
Victoria
Kowloon
21
Chinese.
English. Schools. Scholars, Schools, Scholars.
68 4,034 20 3.014 Villages of a'kong 10
114 53
273
2
932
1
Total
Viotoria
4
Villages of H'kong Kowloon
Total.....
99 5,239 23 3,181 Portuguese.
Total. Schools, Scholars. Schools. Scholars.
7,264 387 985
126 8,606
186
92 12 22
186
+
1900. Government and Grant-in-Aid Schools.
Chinese.
English Schools. Scholars. Schools, Scholars.
49 2,959
23
3,005
Victoria
Villages of H'kong 18
Kowloon
14
723 486
1
1
72 70
Total.....
81 4,178
25 3,147 Portugueso.
Total. Schools. Scholars. Schools, Scholars.
4
161
76 6,125
19
15
800 556
110
7,481
Victoria Villages of H'kong Kowloon
Total...
4
161
and for 1890, 5,105 and 3,373.
I cannot find any very clear evidence of attendance having been affected by the report which was current towards the end of May that a child was to be sacrificed to strengthen the foundations of a railway bridge, The scare was only partial and very soon passed away, but not before it culminated in a serious commotion at Aberdeen on the night of the 31st May, when the boats in harbour fired off their guns under the impression that an attempt was to be made to carry off their children. It is satisfactory to learn that the influence of the Sisters on the children attending their school at Aberdeen was so great that the children instead of absenting themselves from school went there for protection. I visited Aplichau and Stanley one or two days after the disturb. ance. At Aplichan the attendance was a little below normal. One girl who returned to after noon school when I was there did not dare to come further than the top of the staircase, and when some allusion was made by the mistress in conversation with me to the rumour she ran off again. At Stanley the boys attended school, but most of the girls were absent.
The schools formerly maintained by the Female Education Society have now passed under the management of the Church Mis- sionary Society. Out of the 97 schools on the roll only 80 were examined. Of the remaining 17, 2 were dispersed before the date of examination; the premises occupied by them became unsafe for babitation, and they were unable to find new quarters. Eight of the others are closed owing to difficulty in procuring teachers; another is closed ponding the erection of a permanent school building, and the others are unable to find suitable quarters. A special grant equal to 30 per cent. of the rent is now made to schools occupying leased premises and will, I hope, afford the free Chinese Schools in Victoria some relief, but rents are rising with such extraordinary rapidity that I question whether this extra grant will induce teachers to re-open the schools which have been* closed. Landlords are averse to leasing their premises for longer periods than a month, and teachers are chary of incurring an expenditure from which no return can be expected till the end of the year. It is only the other day that the reply of a landlord to an application from the manager of a Grant-in-Aid School for a year's lease was one month's notice to quit, and the result is that a useful little girls' school has disappeared. All landlords are not like that, In 1900 there were 136 scholars, examined in and I am pleased to be able to report an instance the three highest standards of the Grant-in-Aid of a landlord foregoing a large increase in rent Schools in class III compared with 155 in 1899. in order to enable a school to continue its work But as the total number examined was only till the end of the year and thus earn the 958 as against 1,166 in 1899, there is relatively | Government Grant. no falling off.
RESULTS OF THE ANNUAL EXAMINATION, -I reported fully on the results of the examinations of Government District Schools in my letter No. 27 of the 5th March.
BELILIOS PUBLIC SCHOOL.-The Head- mistress, Mrs. Bateman, returned from 19 A comparison between the two years 1890 and months' leave in October. The annual examin- 1900 shows a decease of 5 in the number of ation of the school was held on the 18th, 19th Chinese Schools and an increase of 62 in the and 20th July, and my report on it will be found number of scholars in attendance at them. in Letter No. 61 of the 7th August, There There is an actual decrease under every head were 155 scholars present in the English except that of the number of scholars in the Division as against 99 in the previous year. Of Hongkong Village Schools. The increase under the latter head is due to the closing of the Infant School. The corresponding figures these, 53 were in the Upper School and 102 in Government Schools in small isolated villages for 1899 were 50 and 49. Out of 194 scholars and the opening of Grant-in-Aid Schools in the larger villages. Thus in 1890 there were three and 65 were Chinese. There were 39 Eurasians. on the register 33 were British or Americans sohools in Shaukiwan with an enrolment of 147 Miss Long, the senior pupil teacher, resigned scholars, in 1900 five schools with an enrolment her post at the end of November, and the Head- of 244. The decrease in the number of mistress reports that after asking several of the English Schools in the Hongkong villages is former pupils of the school to undertake the caused by the closing of the Government duties she could neet with no success, until Miss English Schools at Stanley and Shaukiwan. Chun Yut as a personal favour consented to The decrease in the number of scholars attend- take charge of the classes until such time as a ing Portuguese Schools deserves notice. With teacher could be found to take the position per- 1893 of course 1900 compares still worse. There manently. So far no one has been found and is a decrease under every bead except in the the prospect of finding anyone seems as far off as number of English Schools and in the number ever. Theexamination of the Chinese Division was of schools in the villages of Hongkong. In held in October, a more suitable time for judg. 1892 a number of Government village schools ing the work done during the year than were closed and in the following year the July. The number examined was 128 compared Grant-in-Aid Schools which ultimately took | with 87 in the previous year. their place had not been opened. The free Chinese Schools in Victoria have been very number of schools remains the same. The adversely affected by the general rise in rents. There is a demand for more Chinese Schools in
the Kowloon Peninsula, and unless it is met by the Managers of Grant-in-Aid Schools it will
GOVERNMENT DISTRICT SCHOOLS.-The
average daily attendance at the Chinese School was 274 and at the English 484 compared with 249 and 484 respectively in 1899. The work in the English Schools was interfered with by
|
CANTON.
PL
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Canton, 16th July.
THE FRENCH FETE DAY.
On the 14th inst. the anniversary fete in the
success. French concession on Shameen was quite a In the forenoon there was a reception in the French Consulate, and the gunboats At noon a salute of twenty-one guns was fired opposite the Band were gaily dressed in bunting. from the French _men-of-war. At night the Band along the French Concession and the garden were beautifully illuminated with coloured Japanese lanterns; some public buildings and private houses were also Illuminated, and flew the tricolour during the day. The fireworks from the districts of Tungkun and Sheklung, were very nice, being especially made to order
the best ever displayed in Canton. The Porta- guese Amateur Band, under the leadership of Maestro V. Senna, was also in attendance discoursing some very good music, while refreshments were served out free. This time the flowerboats, to the number of from 40 to 50, anchoring in a line along the east of the Bund were not disappointed, and the occupants showed that they were also enjoying the fun very much by making loud exclamations and letting off squibs. On account of a shower of rain and the late hour the fireworks were discontinued, but were displayed again the following night.
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