§ 51. Mr. RHYS DAVIESasked the President of the Hoard of Education whether, in regard to the recruitment of teachers, he will state in respect of which training colleges the Board has given warning; and whether such action on the part of the Board of Education has prevented student teachers or pupil teachers from obtaining admission to any training colleges?
§ Mr. FISHERI cannot without special inquiry give a complete list of the training colleges which have been warned by the Board in recent years that they must not admit students in excess of their recognised accommodation, but I may refer in particular to the cases of the London Day Training College and the Leeds University Training Department, mentioned in my answers in this House on the 20th and the 22nd of March, copies of which I am sending to the hon. Member. I am unable to say how many additional students would have been admitted to courses of training, if these and other institutions had been allowed to admit candidates in excess of their recognised accommodation, or how many of these would have been pupil teachers or student teachers, respectively.
§ Mr. DAVIESAm I to understand that the number applying for teacherships is too many?
§ Mr. FISHERWe have thought it right to give a warning to the training colleges. At the present time the number of students in the colleges to the total recognised accommodation is larger than it was before the War, and we think it is probable that there may be some reduction in the demand.
§ Mr. MORGAN JONESHas not the Board of Education encouraged local authorities to recruit for teachers?
§ Mr. FISHERNo doubt we did hope to be able to go on with the day continuation schools, which would mean a very considerable addition to the demand for teachers.
§ Mr. DAVIESIs it not a fact that the number of young people applying for teacherships has decreased for a considerable number of years?
§ Mr. FISHERI do not think that is the ease quite recently.