( 20 ) 
Quite lately the slump and the consequent dearth 
of commercial careers for their sons have led Malays, 
and Chinese to evince some interest in technical 
education: it is felt that conducted on right lines 
education must somehow be a panacea for economic 
distress. 
6. TRAINING OF TEACHERS. 
In 1901 there was no machinery for training tea- 
chers in the Colony except the system of engaging 
pupil teachers, who were seldom effectively super- 
vised by the managers of schools and who, if they 
did complete their course, soon deserted a profession, 
which was miserably paid and the last refuge of the 
semi-educated unemployed. 
Accordingly the Goverment projected a Training 
College for male teachers in Singapore, and the 1902, 
Commission suggested that the Federated Malay 
States should be invited to send students and bear 
part of the cost. In 1904 a Training School was 
tried but no candidates for admission came forward. 
The 1902 Commission also found that useful work 
was being done by the headmistress of Raffles Girls' 
School in training female teachers and recommended 
a training school for them in connection with that 
girls' school. After discussion that lasted two years 
training classes for pupil teachers of both sexes 
were started at Raffles Institution and Raffles Girls' 
School. The class for girls was so successful that 
it has lasted down to the present time and been 
copied in Penang. 
The class for boys was a failure and, following the 
example of a successful experiment tried in 1905 
