§ MR. DALRYMPLEasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, What is the present position of the proposed endowment of the Chairs of the Theory and Practice of Teaching in the Universities of Edinburgh and Saint Andrews?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERIn answer to the Question of the hon. Gentleman, I have to state that last summer I received deputations from the representatives of the Universities of Edinburgh and Saint Andrews, and they were accompanied by a body of Trustees. I was informed that the then Trustees had a certain sum of money at their disposal for various purposes, and that they proposed to apply a portion of that money to founding a new Chair, one in the University of Edinburgh, and the other in the University of Saint Andrews, for the purpose of teaching what they call the science of pedagogy, or the science of teaching. I was further informed that the University authorities were willing to accept the donation on the part of the Trustees, but that the amount would not be sufficient, in their opinion, to endow the Chairs, and they therefore came to the Government for a grant from the Treasury to add to the endowment of the Trustees. Looking at the matter from a purely financial point of view, I stated that I was not at that time prepared to entertain the question of the grant. Subsequently, in the course of the winter, the application was renewed, and I then considered, looking to various considerations which presented themselves, that I need not insist upon the objections which I had taken in the summer, and therefore I informed them that it would be within the competence of the Government to grant the sum which they asked for—namely, £200 for each Chair. I understood the money was to be for the purpose of teaching the theory and science of teaching, and not connected with any practical work and I certainly never supposed that 493 the Chairs would interfere with the system of primary education in the normal schools in Scotland. Subsequently to that announcement, and after directions had been given for the grants, representations were made that these Chairs might in some way injure and interfere with the normal schools throughout Scotland. Now there was not the slightest intention on the part of the promoters, and there never was any on the part of the Government, that any such consequence should result from the foundation of the Chairs. I have put myself in communication with the Secretary of State for the Home Department and the Lord Advocate, and have requested them to consider whether any conditions ought to be enforced in order to prevent any interference with that system, which we do not desire to interfere with. We consider the Chairs ought to be of a purely scientific character. We have given Notice of the Vote for Edinburgh University; but by some accident the like Vote for Saint Andrews has been omitted from the Estimates. That is a pure accident, and it will be rectified.