§ 83. Sir W. Davisonasked the President of the Board of Education what is the approximate cost per child, in sterling, from local and national funds in respect of elementary education in France, Germany, Russia, and Great Britain, respectively?
§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education (Mr. Shakespeare)The average cost to public funds of education in elementary schools in England and Wales in 1937 is estimated to be £15 11s. 1d. per child. I regret that owing to the difference in budgetary methods and the difficulty of ascertaining and distinguishing both State and local expenditure for the other countries mentioned by my hon. Friend it is not possible to give the comparative figures for those countries.
§ Sir W. DavisonIs it not very desirable to have approximate figures of the cost of education in foreign countries in order to see whether we are getting good value in this country?
Viscountess AstorDoes not the quality of our people and their political consciousness show that we are getting good value for our money?
§ Mr. ShakespeareWe are not responsible for the schoolchildren in European countries, and it is almost impossible to get comparative figures.