§ 19. Mr. LIVINGSTONEasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in view of the fact that Gaelic-speaking pupils in Highland schools who attend the Scottish Mod as competitors, with the full approval of, and in company with, their teachers, are marked absent in the school registers; and, in view of the special educational value of the Mod to Highland children, will he arrange that in future they will not be penalised in this manner?
§ Sir J. GILMOURWhile the Department are unable to allow attendances of competitors at musical festivals such as the Scottish Mod to be entered in the School registers as actual attendances at school, they raise no objection to such attendances being recorded in the school registers by a distinctive mark and included in the totals for the purpose of calculating the percentage of average attendance. Where schools adopt this course, no question of penalising anybody arises.