HC Deb 18 May 1976 vol 911 cc1226-7

4.0 p.m.

Mrs. Bain

I beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 9, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration, namely, the critical situation existing at the present time in Scottish colleges of education. The matter is specific and important in that it affects the future lives of highly trained and skilled young people in whom a great deal of public money has been invested and who were recruited to training colleges in the fond belief that jobs would await them when their courses were completed. Despite that, a vast number of students due to qualify this summer face the immediate prospect of unemployment.

At one college, Jordanhill in Glasgow, which serves the vast Strathclyde Region, 286 out of 438 primary diploma students still had not found posts by last Friday, and this pattern is reflected throughout the whole of Scotland. This is even more important when one bears in mind that Scotland has the largest areas of deprivation in the whole of the United Kingdom and that education should be seen as one means of eradicating this poverty and of giving real equality of opportunity.

The matter is increasingly urgent because four colleges of education in Scotland have already been occupied by students with the support of their lecturers, and others are likely to follow suit later this week. This is likely to lead to the possible disruption of the examination situation in those colleges and is causing great concern.

The overall effects of this situation are such that the morale of teachers and students in Scotland is so low that it merits that this House should discuss the situation immediately.

Mr. Speaker

The hon. Member for Dunbartonshire, East (Mrs. Bain) asks leave to move the Adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that she thinks should have urgent consideration, namely, the critical situation existing at the present time in Scottish colleges of education. As the House knows, under Standing Order No. 9 I am directed to take account of the several factors set out in the Order, but to give no reason for my decision.

I have given careful consideration to the representations which the hon. Lady has made, but I have to rule that her submission does not fall within the provisions of the Standing Order and, therefore, I cannot submit her application to the House.