51. Duchess of ATHOLLasked the President of the Board of Education how many married women teachers or teachers 1118 over 60 years of age, additional to present requirements, will be available and regarded as suitable for employment by the Board and the local education authorities at 1st April, 1931, assuming that the school age is raised at that date?
§ Sir C. TREVELYANI am afraid that I cannot add anything to the answer which I gave to the Noble Lady on the 27th March.
52. Duchess of ATHOLLasked the President of the Board of Education the number of additional teachers required on 1st April, 1931, 1st September, 1931, 1st January, 1932, and on 1st April of each year from 1932 to 1938, inclusive, in the event of the school-leaving age being raised as from 1st April, 1931; how many of these teachers will be class teachers; how many teachers of special subjects, such as various forms of handcraft and physical training; and what is the average salary assumed payable to such teachers?
§ Sir C. TREVELYANI have not yet received full returns from local education authorities on this matter; moreover, the reorganisation of elementary schools will be proceeding with varying degrees of rapidity in different parts of the country for some time to come. In these circumstances, I am not in a position to give an estimate of the numbers of additional teachers who will be required on the dates mentioned in the question, either as class teachers or as teachers of special subjects. The average salary of adult full-time teachers is £246 8s. per annum.
Duchess of ATHOLLMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether it is not the case that he told a meeting outside this House some weeks ago that many thousands of teachers would be required when the school age was raised; and is the House not entitled to have as much information as is given to outside bodies, and ought we not to be informed as to the number which will be needed?
§ Sir C. TREVELYANI never gave any specific number. Everybody knows that many thousands will be wanted, and I was only stating what is a matter of common knowledge.
Duchess of ATHOLLWill the right hon. Gentleman soon be in a position to state exactly what he meant by "many thousands"?
§ Sir C. TREVELYANI will give the House, as soon as I can, specific information, but it is quite impossible at present to make a definite estimate.