§ MR. ROBERT WARD (Cheshire, Crewe)I beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education, if he is aware that it is the practice of the Science and Art Department to refuse to consider the examination papers of science and art students on the ground of trivial irregularities in the conduct of the examinations by the local committee; whether, with a view to obviate the hardship to the examinees, he will consider the advisability of modifying the stringency of the regulations, to make them more in accord with the regulations which govern the Oxford and Cambridge and other local examinations; and, whether, in the case of the Alsager (Cheshire) Technical Education Classes, the Department is acting within its powers in refusing to allow an examination to proceed because of the strained relationship existing between the Department and the Secretary of the local committee?
THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Sir JOHN GOEST,) Cambridge UniversityThe Science and Art Department refuse to recognise examinations at which irregularities have occurred, which make it doubtful if the examinations have been fairly conducted. The Committee of Council could not modify the stringency of their regulations as long as the examinations involve the grant of public money. The Alsager examination is proceeding.
§ MR. WARDasked whether the examinees, who took part in the examination referred to in his Question, were to suffer for what had occurred?
§ SIR J. GORSTreplied that the examinees would meet with no difficulty.