§ 26. Mrs. Whiteasked the Minister of Education what is the nature of his proposed inquiry into primary education; and by whom it will be carried out.
§ The Minister of Education (Sir Edward Boyle)I am considering whether such an inquiry is desirable and, if so, by whom it should be conducted. I hope to make a statement on this subject early in 1963.
§ Mrs. WhiteHas the right hon. Gentleman observed the last report of the Registrar-General, and does he realise that, after 1947, the highest birth rate occurred in 1960? Therefore, his problem in 1965, or that of his successor from this side of the House, which is more likely, will be intense unless something further is done to provide more teachers for these schools.
§ Sir E. BoyleWe are discussing the question of teachers later. I have studied the report to which the hon. Lady refers. No doubt she has studied the interesting article in the National Economic Review on this subject. The important point is that it is thirty years since the last major inquiry into primary education. I am concerned not merely with the quantitative problem, but with the question of whether we are as well informed as we might be about what happens today in the primary schools.