§ 35. Mr. Rankinasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in view of the early attainment of self-government by Tanganyika, what steps he proposes taking to increase the output of students who have completed their full secondary school course in order to enable more Africans to enter the Tanganyikan Civil Service.
§ The Secretary of State for the Colonies (Mr. Iain Macleod)The expansion of secondary education is being given a high priority by the Tanganyika Government who, on present plans, aim at increasing the number of African candidates for school certificate from 300 to over 2,000 and candidates for higher school certificate from 90 to at least 300, over the next three years. An increase in the supply of teachers to keep pace with this programme is also planned. Her Majesty's Government have already approved a grant of over £250,000 for secondary school expansion from moneys available under the Colonial Development and Welfare Acts.
§ Mr. RankinI thank the right hon. Gentleman for those figures and for his Answer, but does he agree that a fully Africanised Civil Service is essential to the well-being of Tanganyika? Is he aware that at the moment there are 3,400 officers in the Civil Service of whom a mere 380 are Africans, and that last year only 324 took the school certificate while 762 vacancies awaited? Does he realise that these disgraceful figures are due to the fact that successive Tory Governments have failed to recognise—[HON. MEMBERS: "Speech.]—the speed of political change in Africa and that, because of that fact, we are now faced with this problem of what special steps—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The hon. Member's supplementary question is out of order; it is all argument. Mrs. Castle.
§ Mr. RankinOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Surely it is within order for me now to ask what special steps the Minister is taking to meet this problem.
§ Mr. SpeakerNo. I ruled the hon. Member's supplementary question out of order. Mrs. Castle.