§ 25. Mr. Boydenasked the Minister of Education what special steps have been taken to ensure that the 517 applicants 1507 for teacher training who were graded as acceptable by the clearing house but who could not find places in training colleges last September secure the necessary training to become teachers.
§ The Minister of Education (Sir David Eccles)The colleges are making a special effort to accept as many suitable applicants as possible in 1962–63.
§ Mr. BoydenBefore the building programme is completed, why does not the Minister make a special effort and divert some of Her Majesty's inspectors to make emergency arrangements for some of the 500 students who are left over? If this were a military operation, these things would be undertaken. Does not the Minister regard the implications of the situation as important?
§ Sir D. EcclesI want the colleges to take as many students as possible. As the hon. Gentleman knows, they have been very good in crowding up while the programme of expansion is going through. There is a limit to which I can ask them to take extra students.
§ Mrs. WhiteWill the right hon. Gentleman consider proposals put forward in North Wales to take over for the autumn and spring terms and the early summer the holidays camps which could be used for emergency training? After all, the teacher position is desperate. Could not the right hon. Gentleman think of something really imaginative like this?
§ Sir D. EcclesI am always willing to consider all expedients, but I do not think that emergency camps are the right places in which to train teachers.