§ 36. Colonel Sir CHARLES YATEasked the President of the Board of Education what is the cost of the sanction of the applications from local education authorities in Wales for the abolition of fees in secondary schools that have already been granted by him; and, if all local education authorities in the country avail themselves of his offer to sanction the general abolition of fees in secondary schools, how he intends to find the money to replace the £3,000,000 now derived from fees in existing grant-earning schools?
§ The PRESIDENT of the BOARD of EDUCATION (Mr. Trevelyan)The total amount of fees in those Welsh secondary schools in which I have sanctioned the abolition of fees is £4,413 10s.; the cost of their abolition will fall as to one-half on the Board's Vote, and as to one-half on the local authorities. The second part of the question is hypothetical.
§ Sir C. YATEDo the local authorities agree to pay this extra money?
§ Mr. TREVELYANThe local authorities have asked my permission to remit the fees.
§ 37. Sir C. YATEasked the President of the Board of Education whether, in removing the restriction on free places in secondary schools, and giving school authorities liberty to raise the percentage of free places in these schools to 40 per cent., he has taken into consideration the cost involved in sending pupils from elementary to secondary schools who do not complete their time; and will he state what is the estimated amount of money wasted annually in this way?
§ Mr. TREVELYANIt is impossible to estimate the cost to public funds involved in premature withdrawals from secondary schools. The matter is one that is 2391 continually engaging the attention of the board and the authorities of the schools, and the figures at my disposal show a steady improvement. Premature withdrawals are less frequent among free-place than among fee-paying pupils.
§ Sir C. YATEWill the right hon. Gentleman take care to send into the secondary schools those who are likely to benefit by the teaching by remaining the whole time?
§ Mr. TREVELYANEvery effort is made to get children who will stay the full time, and they are staying the whole time more and more as time goes on.