§ MR. WEIR (Ross and Cromarty)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will ascertain from the Governor of Ceylon whether it is practicable to adopt the suggestion of Mr. Howard, the present Director of 1475 Public Instruction, and establish central schools to serve more than one estate; and will he state the approximate cost of establishing schools under the grant-in-aid system on or near estates throughout the planting districts.
§ MR. WEIRI beg also to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will consider the expediency of recommending the Governor of Ceylon to appoint inspectors with a knowledge of Tamil to visit and report periodically on all existing schools on Ceylon estates, including the so-called line schools which received no Government grant.
§ MR. LYTTELTONThe Governor has informed me that there is no intention of abandoning the proposal to group estates for school purposes where that is found to be a convenient course. He has appointed a Commission to deal with the whole subject of coolie education, and I have requested that their report may be submitted to me without undue delay. I have no doubt that the question of appointing inspectors with a knowledge of Tamil will be considered by the Commission.