§ 15. Miss Lestorasked the Minister of Overseas Development what assistance he is giving to make new educational methods and techniques available to the developing countries.
§ Mr. PrenticeI regard this as a very important and growing part of our aid to education in the developing countries. I am planning to set up a new Centre under the Chairmanship of Sir Lionel Russell, C.B.E., which will be primarily responsible for advising and helping developing countries on all matters concerning curriculum reform and new teaching techniques. It will incorporate a number of existing bodies and will cooperate closely with the B.B.C., the British Council and other interested organisations.
§ Miss LestorWhilst thanking my right hon. Friend for that reply, and expressing pleasure at this announcement, may I ask whether, for example, there will be any concentration of development on new methods in primary education, and what amount of money it is expected these projects will cost?
§ Mr. PrenticeI anticipate that a great deal of work will be in the primary field, though I could not separate it without notice, or even with notice, because a lot of the work will overlap.
§ Mr. BraineYes, but the House will be wanting to know what the cost is likely to be. May I take the opportunity to welcome the announcement which the right hon. Gentleman has just made? I can think of few ways in which a more useful contribution could be made to overseas development than this.
§ Mr. PrenticeI can give the figures. I did not respond to the question of my hon. Friend the Member for Eton and Slough (Miss Lestor) because I thought it related to primary education. At the moment the cost is about £150,000, and it is expected to go up to £256,000 and to rise to some extent in subsequent years.