§ 5. Mr. Boydenasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what improvements are proposed in the provision of adult education in the Gambia during the next two years.
§ Mr. H. FraserThe newly elected Government will, no doubt, be considering the subject, but clearly the main objective of educational policy will remain in the primary and secondary fields.
§ Mr. BoydenJudging by the Answer which the hon. Gentleman gave me recently, the closing of the office of the British Council in the Gambia means that no adult education in the sense that we understand it in England is going on at all. Will he please look into the matter?
§ Mr. FraserAs regards adult education, I am happy to say that we hope that two Voluntary Service Overseas students will be arriving to utilise the library and equipment of the British Council in Bathurst. As regards general education, I think that the hon. Gentleman will be pleased to see that in the revised development plan, instead of 8.5 per cent. of expenditure on new schemes going to education, the percentage will be 40 per cent. I think that this is a step forward.
§ Mr. G. M. ThomsonWill the hon. Gentleman consider again the closing of the British Council office? Is it not quite shocking that this office should be 1125 closed and that what facilities there are should now be staffed by two sixth formers at a time when we ought to be doing a great deal more to encourage the adult education to which my hon. Friend referred?
§ Mr. FraserI cannot look at it again. The office has been closed, and we have got to make the best use we can of our present available resources.