§ Sir C. YATEasked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the question of raising the standard required for entrance to a university college in India is still under consideration; and whether any progress has been made in bringing colleges in India up to the level of colleges in other countries in this respect?
§ Mr. RICHARDSIf I may assume that the hon. and gallant Member refers to the proposal that admission to the regular degree courses in university colleges should be limited to students who have already passed the intermediate examination, the answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The principle of the change has been accepted in the Acts establishing the universities of Lucknow, Dacca and Aligarh and reconstituting that of Allahabad, and complementary action has been taken to place intermediate along with secondary education under a special authority separate from the university. Local governments, with whom the responsibility rests, are alive to the importance of the matter, but financial difficulties have made it impossible to give full effect to the scheme which would involve the establishment of a large number of separate intermediate colleges. It is impossible within the limits of an answer to give details of the progress made, but I hope shortly to be in a position to present to Parliament the Eighth Quinquennial Review of education in India, which contains full information on the subject.