§ 14. Sir Percy Hurdasked the President of the Board of Education whether his attention has been drawn to the increasing practice of parents, as in Wiltshire, to break their undertakings with the education authorities and withdraw their children prematurely from secondary schools, thus sacrificing the children's interests, wasting the school places which other children might have taken, and upsetting the educational programmes of the authorities; and what action he proposes to take?
§ Mr. ButlerI am aware of and deprecate the tendency under war conditions for parents to withdraw their children prematurely from secondary schools. The main deterrent against this practice lies in the enforcement of school life agree- 1680 ments. I understand that, in the case of the particular school which my hon. Friend has in mind, the agreements were so drafted and executed as to make their enforcement impracticable.
§ Sir P. HurdWill my right hon. Friend invite the Postmaster-General to instruct his local officials to desist from attracting these boys away from secondary schools in order to employ them as post office clerks?
§ Mr. ButlerI shall certainly do my best to make the attractions of education so great that even those offered by my right horn Friend cannot prevail.
§ Sir P. HurdWill my right hon. Friend ask him to do what I have suggested?
§ Mr. LipsonWill my right hon Friend, in the interests of the children and in the national interest, broadcast to parents on the undesirability of withdrawing children from school before the proper time?
§ Mr. ButlerIt depends partly on the agreements to which I have referred and partly on the appeal which the hon. Member mentioned. I will certainly keep the matter in mind.