MR. LYULPH STANLEYasked the Vice President of the Council, Whether his attention has been called to a Letter from the School Board for London, dated 27th January last, addressed to the Education Department, complaining of the difficulties under which Board School pupil teachers labour in seeking admission to training colleges, and asking for relief; and, whether he is prepared to propose any alteration which may secure full opportunities of training, with protection for the rights of conscience, to pupil teachers who have passed satisfactorily the scholarship examination, but who are excluded from college by the action of the college authorities, and by their regulations?
§ MR. MUNDELLAThe letter of the London School Board is still under the consideration of the Department, together with the whole question of Training Colleges. The best way of securing the relief to which the hon. Member refers is by increasing the accommodation in the Undenominational Colleges. The deficiency is mainly, if not exclusively, confined to the female Colleges; and I am happy to be able to state that there are proposals now before the Department which will go far towards supplying it. I have had communications from the principals of the Undenominational Colleges for male teachers, to the effect that they have already considerable difficulty in placing their students at their completion of their term, and that they are not desirous of increasing their number in training, as the supply is already in excess of the demand.