§ Dr. CHAPPLEasked the President of the Board of Education whether he will am end the regulations relating to the appointment of inspectors of schools by removing the age limit of thirty-five years, throwing such posts open to competition to the whole teaching profession, and making actual teaching experience of not less than ten years in primary, secondary, or higher grade schools an essential qualification for appointment?
§ The PRESIDENT of the BOARD of EDUCATION (Mr. Runciman)The age limit of thirty-five years applies only to appointments of junior inspectors, and has never been regarded as an insuperable obstacle to the appointment of any particular candidate for appointment to that grade over the age of thirty-five, if his exceptional qualifications were such as to make it specially desirable that the Board should secure his services. The Board's inspectorate is already open to suitably qualified candidates from all branches of the teaching profession. I do not think it is desirable to insist upon experience of actual teaching for so long a period as ten years as a qualification for appoint- 1322 ment to the inspectorate. Such a rule might frequently prevent the Board from securing the services of a brilliant candidate, who, although prepared to take service under the Board while he was comparatively young, probably would not be prepared to do so at the salaries at present at the disposal of the Board after he had been for ten years engaged in other professional work.