日治初期臺灣地方教育會之研究

Abstract

本文旨在探討日治初期臺灣地方教育會之成立經緯、會務活動及其歷史意義， 指出日本領臺前， 其國內已普遍設立地方教育會， 以教育者為主體， 負責協助教育行政及落實教育政策。日治初期， 臺南首先引進教育會組織， 臺北、基隆、臺中、新竹、桃園等亦陸續在地方行政首長之號召下踵繼成立教育會， 其目的在管理書房及推動公學校教育， 成員大多以臺人士紳及書房教師為主， 故性質及會務活動均異於日本地方教育會。地方當局事先透過教育會聯絡書房教師， 尋求改良書房與推動新教育之共識， 並宣導相關規定及措施， 以漸進方式落實書房義塾管理規程； 同時， 督促書房及士紳子弟入公學校就讀， 影響所及， 地方政府得順利落實書房管理政策， 不少書房教師轉任公學校教師， 甚至率領私塾子弟轉入公學校就讀。要之， 新教育推展之初， 地方教育會實扮演中介之角色， 發揮溝通官民之功能，誠為日治初期地方教育發展過程中不可忽視之現象。

This article aims to discuss how the regional education association was established and what kind of activities it developed, and tries to indicate its historical ignificance during the early period of colonial Taiwan. Before 1895, the regional education associations which are predominantly based on educationists were widespread in Japan. The primary goals were the assistance of educational administration and the fulfillment of educational policies. In Taiwan, however, the regional education associations, established during the early Japanese colonial period（1896-1900）in Tainan, Taipei, Keelung, Taichung, Hsinchu and Taoyuan, were almost founded by local administration in order to conduct the traditional Confucian educational institutions and promote the Japanese colonial education system. Therefore, the members of the regional education associations were mainly Taiwan's scholargentry class. Through the associations to communicate with gentry and native teachers, local administration could preach gentry to send their sons to elementary schools and improve the old-style Chinese schools. Briefly,the regional education associations played a vital intermediate role between authorities and intellectuals before 1901.