Diocesan Boys' School 5.33

mThe Diocesan Boys' School is one of the most prestigious boys' school in Hong Kong, located at 131 Argyle Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon. Founded in 1869, it is one of the oldest secondary schools in the city. The school's mission is "to provide a liberal education based on Christian principles". Having run as a grant-aided school since it was founded, the school commenced operation in the Direct Subsidy Scheme in September 2003. It uses English as the medium of instruction.HistoryThe first foundationIn 1860, Mrs Lydia Smith and the FES set up the Diocesan Native Female Training School, a day-school turned boarding school for native girls, affiliated with the Diocese of Victoria. As stated in its first annual report, the purpose of the school was "to introduce among a somewhat superior class of native females the blessings of Christianity and of religious training". The school sat on Bonham Road, a small concrete house on a paddy field. Lady Robinson became the patron.The school had a difficult existence. The Second Opium War aroused strong anti-British sentiment and so it was very unpopular for Chinese girls to learn English. The school was closed and then reopened under the name "Diocesan Female School", but its finances did not improve. In 1868, Bishop Charles Richard Alford took the school under his immediate superintendence.