§ MR. DALZIELI beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether Sir George Kekewich has been required to resign the office of Permanent Secretary to the Board of Education; and, if so, will he say who has been appointed as his successor, how long his successor has been in the service of the Board of Education, and what posts in that service he has filled.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURUnder the regulations which govern the Board of Education, officers of all ranks who reach the age of sixty-two are required to retire, in the absence of special circumstances. 468 Sir George Kekewich will reach that limit of age in April next. As from April 1st an entirely new system of administration will commence, it was deemed desirable in the public interest to entrust this establishment to the officer who will continue to direct it. In these circumstances it was not possible to extend Sir George Kekewich's service beyond the limits fixed by the regulations; but this casts no reflection on an able public servant, who will retire on the maximum rate of pension after a long and distinguished public career. Mr. Morant will succeed Sir George Kekewich as head of the office and, in the meantime, has been appointed Acting Secretary. Mr. Morant was appointed to the Board of Education in 1895 on the occasion of the establishment of a new branch of work in the office. He was appointed senior examiner in 1900. Mr. Morant has spent the whole of his life in the active prosecution of educational work both in England and abroad, and I am satisfied that not only is he amply qualified for this post, but that his appointment has proved generally acceptable to all persons who are interested in educational progress and have a practical acquaintance with educational organisation.