§ Mr. AUBREY HERBERTasked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that the county education committee of the Somerset County Council have passed resolutions regarding the shortage of supply in teachers, bursars, pupil teachers, and others, and asking that an inquiry should be made at once by the Board of Education regarding this shortage; and will he state what steps, if any, he proposes to take in the matter?
§ Mr. J. A. PEASEI have received copies of the resolutions referred to as having been passed by the education committee of the Somerset County Council. The question to which they relate has been engaging my attention for some time past and the hon. Member may be interested to learn that I have invited a deputation from the County Councils Association to discuss the problem with me on the 16th of this month.
§ Mr. AUBREY HERBERTasked the President of the Board of Education, if he will give the total number of admissions of bursars and pupil teachers throughout England during the years 1905–6 to 1910–11, inclusive and separately.
§ Mr. J. A. PEASEThe numbers of pupil teachers recognised for the first time during the year, and of bursars recognised for the year are as follows:—
ENGLAND AND WALES. Years. England. Wales. Total. Pupil Teachers. Bursars. Pupil Teachers. Bursars. Pupil Teachers. Bursars. 1905–6 9,885 — 952 — 10,837 — 1900–7 11,018 — 883 — 11,901 — 1907–8 8,297 2,043 747 193 9,044 2,236 1908–9 5,210 3,507 552 286 5,762 3,793 1909–10 3,839 3,341 415 353 4,254 3,694 1910–11 2,593 2,764 392 272 2,985 3,036 1146W
TOTAL PUPIL TEACHERS AND BURSARS. Year. England only. England and Wales. 1905–6 9,885* 10,837* 1906–7 11,018* 11,901* 1907–8 10,340 11,280 1908–9 8,717 9,555 1909–10 7,180 7,948 1910–11 5,357 6,021 * Pupil Teachers only.
§ Mr. AUBREY HERBERTasked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that the county education committee of the Somerset County Council have passed a resolution asking that the Board of Education should at once change the present arrangement according to which all trained teachers leave training colleges at one period in the year, as such an arrangement not only inflicts hardships on the teachers concerned, but also deters parents from encouraging their children to become bursars or pupil teachers; and will he state what action he proposes to take in the matter?
§ Mr. PEASEThe question as to the possibility of a change indicated in the question is one which has been for some time under the consideration of the Board, and has been discussed by them with various local education authorities. I may refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my predecessor on the subject in this House on 13th July of last year, a copy of which will be found on page 71 of the Board's last Report. Particulars will be found on the same page as to an arrangement for double entry, which has now been introduced as an experiment in two training colleges provided by the London County Council.
§ Mr. PIRIEasked the Secretary for Scotland, what number of higher grade pupils have been awarded bursaries by county committees and the number of these pupils who afterwards have taken the intermediate certificate; and, in view of the belief that bursaries are in some instances given where the recipients are not mentally able to profit by them, would he institute a rational examination to determine the standard of scholarship required before a bursary can be awarded?
§ Mr. UREAs the first set of intermediate bursars appointed under the present system will only become ripe for the award of the intermediate certificate at the close of the current session, my hon. Friend's inquiry is somewhat premature; but, in view of the precautions taken by the committees, I have no reason to believe that the number of bursars who fail to complete the course satisfactorily will be at all considerable.