§ 69. Lord NINIAN CRICHTON-STUARTasked the President of the Board of Education whether the standard of the examination test or the standard for 1835 obtaining the certificate is higher for acting teachers than for teachers in the training colleges?
Mr. PEASEThe standard which candidates are required to reach as a condition of obtaining the certificate is not intended to be, and is not, in fact, in the Board's opinion, higher for acting teachers than for students in training colleges. But an exact comparison between the two examinations is impossible as the conditions under which they are held necessarily differ widely.
§ 70. Lord N. CRICHTON-STUARTasked whether the standard in the acting teachers' examination has been raised in recent years; if so, when it was raised, and what the standard now is?
Mr. PEASEThe standard for a pass in the acting teachers' examination was raised a little in each of the years from 1907 to 1910. It has not been raised in the last two years. It is impossible to state what the standard is within the limits of an answer. The standard of an examination depends on the character of the questions set and on the degree of proficiency looked for by the examiners in the answers of candidates.
§ Lord N. CRICHTON-STUARTDoes the right hon. Gentleman mean that the standard was raised in 1907 and again in 1908, higher than the previous year, and again raised in 1909–10?
§ 71. Lord N. CRICHTON-STUARTasked whether the present high standard required in the acting teachers' examination is asked for in order that there may he a restriction in the number of passes, in order to induce acting teachers to seek admission to the training colleges?
Mr. PEASEThe present standard in the acting teachers' examination is required because it is considered by the Board to be the minimum standard which should entitle a candidate to receive a certificate and is not imposed for any other reason.