§ 6. Mr. RHYS DAVIESasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can explain why a grant has been made out of the Palestine Government loan for Arab school buildings, while no grant has been made for Jewish schools; and whether, in view of the representations of the elected assembly of Palestine Jewry, steps will be taken to make an education grant on the basis of the present proportion of the Jews to the whole population and a grant for Jewish school buildings in the town?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister)The provision for educational buildings 1182 which is contained in the schedule of the proposed Palestine loan is in respect of new Government schools, in which Arabic is the medium of instruction and which are open to all sections of the community. The Jewish community has, from the earliest years of the British administration, elected to maintain its own school system and the Government of Palestine has never accepted responsibility for the capital cost of such schools. The Government of Palestine has, however, for many years provided grants-in-aid in respect of the recurrent cost of the Jewish schools, and in recent years the amount of the grant-in-aid has been calculated in relation to the annual expenditure on Government schools and the number of Jewish children of school age in proportion to the total school age population. The amount of the grant-in-aid approved for the current year is £28,000.
§ Mr. DAVIESMay we take it that the Colonial Office will see to it that there is no discrimination against the education of Jewish children in Palestine?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERWe shall carry on the policy which all our predecessors have carried on without exception since the Mandate.
§ Mr. JANNERIs it not time that the right hon. Gentleman adopted a rather different policy with regard to this matter; and is he not prepared to give a grant to those schools in which Hebrew is being taught, particularly in view of the fact that for so many years the Jewish community in Palestine have assisted the Government by paying the whole of the cost of buildings?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERNo, Sir, this matter has been very often considered. The policy was laid down years ago, and that policy has been consistently followed by every Government.
§ Mr. JANNERIs the right hon. Gentleman prepared to have schools erected in those towns where the population is largely Jewish, arid not place the whole of the burden on the ratepayers of those particular towns?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERThat would entirely depend upon the circumstances in which the teaching was done.
§ Sir PERCY HARRISCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether religion is taught in the Arab schools?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERI should like notice of that question.