§ MR. JACOBY (Derbyshire, Mid)J beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education whether his attention has been drawn to the dissatisfaction existing among teachers in public elementary schools in England and Wales with the recent appointment of Mr. L. J. Roberts, B.A., as one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools: and whether he has ascertained that there were no Sub-Inspectors already engaged in the work of the inspection of schools, or teachers employed in the work of instruction of schools, who being certificated teachers and possessed of the 330 requisite experience might have received the appointment in question?
§ MR. GROVE (West Ham, N.)May I ask whether it has been the custom to nominate Inspectors from the ranks of school teachers; whether there is any objection to such nominations; and whether the last Vice President did not approve a scheme for making such nominations?
§ MR. ACLANDNo previous Government has made any such appointment as those indicated in the question, with one exception, when a distinguished University man, who was for a short time a certificated teacher, became ultimately an Inspector. I have received several letters expressing dissatisfaction on this subject, and have seen some letters written to others. I observe that these letters have, almost without exception, ignored the fact that almost for the first time in the history of the Department, as far as I am aware, two Sub-Inspectors who had been certificated teachers have been made Inspectors since I became Vice President out of four appointments made. The answer to the second part of the question is in the negative, because I do not take the view that all Inspectors without exception should necessarily have been certificated teachers. I think that complete exclusiveness in any part of our educational system at a time when by degrees the various grades of education in the country are becoming more effectively united into a common whole would be a misfortune. I am fully satisfied with the choice that has been made in the case of Mr. Roberts, who is now serving under the Chief Inspector for Wales.