§ Mr. Bourne-Artonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the progress made on the expansion of the teacher training colleges.
§ Mr. HoggThis year there are 54,000 students in the teacher training colleges compared with 28,000 in 1957–58. This figure will rise to 60,000 next year. The current programme for a further expansion to provide for 80,000 students by 1970 is well advanced, and work at some colleges has already started. The new investment, amounting to £7 million over and above the resources already available for the improvement of the colleges, is being used both to encourage more intensive use of teaching accommodation and to improve provision for day and lodging students. This brings to £62 million the total investment authorised for building work on training colleges between 1959 and 1967.
§ Mr. Boydenasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many mature students are at present taking a shortened one-year course at training colleges; and in how many colleges are these students studying.
§ Mr. HoggThis year 142 non-graduate students at 29 colleges have taken general courses of training shortened to one year and another 270 students at 16 colleges have taken special one-year courses for people with certain specialist qualifications. These student numbers include 102 and 143 mature students respectively.