§ 14. Colonel WEDGWOODasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will consider the practicability of extending to Gibraltar, Palestine, and Aden the far-reaching educational reforms at present being carried through in Cyprus and Malta; and whether he will ask the governors and others to report to him on this question?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERAs regards Gibraltar I would refer the right hon. Member to the reply which I gave him on the 8th of April. In Palestine the teaching of English is a regular feature of the curriculum in Government urban schools. Education in the Settlement of Aden is under the control of the Government of India.
§ Colonel WEDGWOODIs it not possible to extend the teaching of English to other than Government-supported schools, seeing the amount of education that is being provided particularly in Palestine?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERIf the right hon. and gallant Gentleman means the Jewish schools, they are, in a sense, private schools. I am not sure that it would be practicable, and indeed I do not think it would be, to have extensive teaching of English yet in the elementary rural schools, but in the urban areas, where fuller advantage can be taken of it, the teaching of English is a regular thing.
§ Colonel WEDGWOODIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Arabs are particularly anxious to learn English, and that in the case of Government national schools the money now comes out of taxation and not out of private funds?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERI think the right hon. and gallant Gentleman knows that I have done my best to increase the teaching of English all over the Empire, and I certainly shall continue to do so wherever possible.
§ Colonel WEDGWOODI am only anxious, as the right hon. Gentleman knows, to extend his good works.