( 8 ) 
VII. The Commission appointed in 1902 praised the 
1899 Code but suggested a few changes, one to 
secure efficiency in pupil-teachers and limit their 
number, and the most important to emphasize 
differentiation between grants for schools of various 
grades, an increase in the rate being recommended 
for the best schools and a substantial reduction in 
the rate for inferior schools. In 1906 a revision of 
the Code authorised a principal grant for every pupil 
not over 10 years of age presented for examination 
in an infant class, a step designed to weed out over- 
age pupils and provide money for efficient teachers 
capable of giving a good ground-work in English. 
In 1908 another Code was drawn up. Surprise 
visits took the place of a formal Annual Inspection 
and only Standards IV and VII were individually 
examined by the inspecting officer. Grants were 
based entirely on average attendance and varied 
according to the grade in which a school or part of 
a school was placed. The most important point is 
that one educational system was prescribed for the 
Colony and the Federated Malay States. In 1914 
the Code was further revised demanding a severer 
test in English. The principle underlying all these 
Codes was identical. No attempt was made to 
reconcile the credit and debit sides of the accounts 
of aided schools. The Government gave grants to 
encourage certain standards of educational efficiency 
and laid down rules to see that it was getting value 
for its money. Grants were annual and paid on the 
report on a school for the previous year. 
The 1902 Commission found that at that time the 
expenditure of most schools under private manage- 
ment was entirely or nearly covered by the Govern- 
ment grant and school fees. But even then this 
