HC Deb 28 February 1939 vol 344 cc1072-3
50. Mr. Johnston

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that during the past 18 months, the students in some 4,800 schools in Eire have been encouraged to collect folk-lore, proverbs and local history, and that as a result, the Irish Folk-Lore Commission has been placed in possession of a vast amount of valuable historical and philological material; and whether he will take steps through the Scottish Education Department, or otherwise, to organise a similar collection and preservation of folk-lore and history in Scotland?

Mr. Colville

I appreciate the value of the collection and preservation of folklore and local history and I am making inquiries about the arrangement to which the right hon. Gentleman refers in the first part of his question. As regards the second part, it is open to the managers of any school to submit for approval revised schemes of work in any subject of the curriculum. Should any school submit proposals for the inclusion in its curriculum of work such as is described in the question, they will be sympathetically considered on their merits. I may add that a memorandum on the teaching of history, which the Scottish Education Department hope to issue in the course of the year, will draw attention to the claims of local history as an important element in historical teaching.

Mr. Johnston

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware of the great cultural effect that such research work would have upon the students concerned, and is he aware that it is highly desirable, if this matter is to be dealt with at all, that it should not be dealt with only by isolated local effort but organised by the Education Department?

Mr. Colville

I think my answer indicated my interest in the subject.

Mr. R. Gibson

Will the right hon. Gentleman keep in view the possibility of making use of the National Library in collating all that material?

Mr. Colville

I will keep that point in view.