§ 18. Sir P. Harrisasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether, in view of the Board's announcement that a training college in an evacuation area may be reopened under conditions, he will state how many colleges have been closed temporarily; and whether, with a view to protecting the interests of students in training and staffs, the Board will use their good offices to preserve, by temporary fusion or amalgamation, the skeleton of the various college organisations?
Mr. LindsayUp to the present the buildings of 34 out of 80 training colleges have been closed so far as the training of 1463 teachers is concerned, either because they are situated in evacuation areas and the authorities of the college have decided not to reopen them, or because they have been requisitioned for other national purposes. The Board's intention, however, is that every training college should resume the training of students either in its own premises or in other premises as soon as possible. The colleges have made a remarkable response to the Board's wishes, and so far as can be ascertained not more than six colleges are in any doubt about resuming training this term: most of the colleges will reopen at the ordinary date or not later than the first week in October.
§ Mr. LipsonWhat is to be done with the staffs of those colleges which have been requisitioned and which will not be reopened? Is the Board going to pay them any compensation?
Mr. LindsayI cannot answer that question at short notice, but I did mention that only six are in that category.