The Vernacular Normal School for Men (VNSM) was established in September 1920 by the Hong Kong Government under the governorship of Sir Reginald Edward Stubbs (1919-1925) to solve the problem of shortage of qualified schoolteachers. Together with the Vernacular Normal School for Women (VNSW, 1920-1941) which was opened in the same year, the two teacher training institutes supplied the majority of the qualified Chinese teachers in Hong Kong during the ensuing two decades. This paper, using documentary sources and information obtained from interviewing some graduates of the Vernacular Normal School for Men, discusses the background to the establishment of the School, its staff, students and curriculum, and the closure of the School, as well as its contribution to the progress of Hong Kong’s basic education.
