§ Mr. Heddleasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is satisfied with the level of trade union 224W and industrial studies carried out by the Workers Educational Association, as evidenced by the 79 per cent. increase in such studies between 1976 and 1978; and whether this accords with Government policy on curriculum development for adult education.
§ Dr. BoysonThe Workers Educational Association has increased its provision in this area significantly in response to the new grant arrangements introduced for it by my Department in 1977–78, but more particularly to the TUC's development of trade union education and training, towards which financial assistance has been provided by the Department of Employment and my Department since 1976–77. Any further development should take carefully into account the need to avoid distorting the national balance of provision available to adults.
§ Mr. Heddleasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if it remains Government policy to encourage the Workers Educational Association, as recommended by the Russell report "Adult Education—a Plan for Development", HMSO 1973, to concentrate on three particular areas, namely, education for the socially and culturally deprived, educational work in an industrial context and political and social education;
(2) what study he has made of the report of the national committee of the Workers Educational Association for 1977–79, and, in particular, the subject analysis of classes 1976–78 printed on pages 32 and 33 of that report;
(3) if he is satisfied with the balance of courses offered by the Workers Educational Association, as evidenced by the subject analysis of classes 1977–78 detailed in the report of the national committee of the Workers Educational Association 1977–79, which shows that social studies accounted for 23–9 per cent. of the number of courses whilst physical 225W sciences accounted for 3.1 per cent., biological studies 7.8 per cent. and modern languages 1–8 per cent.; and will he make a statement.
§ Dr. BoysonEvidence from the report of the national committee of the Workers Educational Association shows that priority has been given nationally to the development of political and social education, education in an industrial context and especially to education for the socially and culturally deprived, to which latter my right hon. and learned Friend accords particular importance, at the expense of subjects falling into the category of academic and liberal education. The Government are content that the Workers Educational Association districts should continue to give priority to work in those subjects and fields they have identified as of particular concern and in which they feel able to make the greatest contribution in the light of their expertise; of local needs; and of the provision for the education of adults made available by other bodies and institutions in their areas.
§ Mr. Heddleasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will list in the Official Report the total
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PAYMENTS OF GRANT BY DES, LEAs AND UNIVERSITIES TO WEA HEADQUARTERS AND WEA DISTRICTS, 1974–75 TO 1978–79 1974–75 DES LEAs Universities WEA Headquarters (Financial year) … … … 12,067 — — WEA Districts (Educational year): Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire … 29,672 10,235 1,225 Eastern … … … … … … 57,041 19,495 — East Midlands … … … … … 54,014 21,553 2,003 London … … … … … … 28,999 9,179 — Northern … … … … … … 39,901 8,625 550 North Staffordshire … … … … … 19,694 11,266 350 North Western … … … … … 32,727 13,565 500 Southern … … … … … … 46,073 9,765 427 South Eastern … … … … … 22,322 12,589 750 South Western … … … … … 24,210 11,361 500 Western … … … … … … 44,722 14,683 600 West Lancashire and Cheshire … … … 46,383 17,893 450 West Midlands … … … … … 31,734 9,250 1,000 Yorkshire, North … … … … … 49,428 19,044 1,123 Yorkshire, South … … … … … 21,294 8,566 406 North Wales … … … … … … 29,027 10,918 250 South Wales … … … … … … 37,171 17,533 1,275 Totals … … … … … … … 614,412 225,520 11,409 amount of income received by the Workers Educational Association from universities and other educational establishments in England and Wales in each of the past five years and in respect of the 17 districts of the Workers Educational Association in England and Wales;
(2) if he will list in the Official Report the total amount in grants which his Department has allocated to the Workers Educational Association in each of the past five years and in respect of each of the 17 districts of the Workers Educational Association in England and Wales;
(3) if he will list in the Official Report the total amount in grants that local education authorities in England and Wales have allocated to the Workers Educational Association in each of the past five years and in respect of each of the 17 districts of the Workers Educational Assocation in England and Wales.
§ Dr. BoysonFollowing is the information available for the latest five-year period. Responsibility for matters relating to the two Workers Educational Association districts in Wales was transferred to the Secretary of State for Wales with effect from 1 April 1978.
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1975–76 DES LEAs Universities WEA Headquarters (Financial year) … … … 30,200 — — WEA Districts (Educational year): Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire … 38,189 12,525 1,225 Eastern … … … … … … 70,431 19,063 — East Midlands … … … … … 72,846 32,947 2,184 London … … … … … … 39,770 10,440 — Northern … … … … … … 46,886 8,493 550 North Staffordshire … … … … … 21,612 13,038 500 North Western … … … … … … 46,328 19,724 500 Southern … … … … … … 57,152 8,500 412 South Eastern … … … … … 23,450 14,593 750 South Western … … … … … 32,099 13,568 500 Western … … … … … … 54,754 17,098 600 West Lancashire and Cheshire … … … 57,340 22,663 450 West Midlands … … … … … 39,245 12,737 1,000 Yorkshire, North … … … … … 67,852 22,253 1,172 Yorkshire, South … … … … … 30,714 11,763 452 North Wales … … … … … … 39,404 11,107 250 South Wales … … … … … … 53,408 20,823 750 Totals … … … … … … … 791,480 271,335 11,295
1976–77 DES LEAs Universities WEA Headquarters (Financial year) … … … 30,200 — — WEA Districts (Educational year): Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire … 43,136 13,215 1,225 Eastern … … … … … … 76,556 21,740 — East Midlands … … … … … 78,787 41,046 2,821 London … … … … … … 42,575 10,400 — Northern … … … … … … 54,533 10,090 550 North Staffordshire … … … … … 23,881 14,070 500 North Western … … … … … 51,374 21,340 500 Southern … … … … … … 62,288 12,173 422 South Eastern … … … … … 23,846 16,755 750 South Western … … … … … 37,134 14,320 500 Western … … … … … … 65,746 20,380 700 West Lancashire and Cheshire … … … 65,430 24,468 450 West Midlands … … … … … 44,391 13,943 1,000 Yorkshire, North … … … … … 74,057 36,963 1,320 Yorkshire, South … … … … … 35,281 14,762 412 North Wales … … … … … … 41,708 11,332 1,444 South Wales … … … … … … 58,232 24,119 750 Totals … … … … … … … 878,955 321,116 13,344 228W229W
1977–78 DES LEAs Universities WEA Headquarters (Financial year) … … … 58,200 — — WEA Districts (Educational year): Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire … 50,600 12,015 1,225 Eastern … … … … … … 95,400 29,490 — East Midlands … … … … … 91,800 43,601 2,800 London … … … … … … 53,100 10,600 — Northern … … … … … … 67,500 12,632 200 North Staffordshire… … … … … … 32,100 15,555 380 North Western … … … … … 63,300 21,657 500 Southern … … … … … … 74,500 6,620 125 South Eastern … … … … … 36,600 17,329 900 South Western … … … … … 43,800 13,536 600 Western … … … … … … 79,000 20,110 700 West Lancashire and Cheshire … … … 78,300 18,054 450 West Midlands … … … … … 55,900 14,043 1,000 Yorkshire, North … … … … … 88,200 36,045 1,374 Yorkshire, South … … … … … 43,400 16,611 406 North Wales … … … … … … 30,780 — — South Wales … … … … … … 43,920 — — Totals … … … … … … … 1,028,200 287,898 10,660
1978–79 DES LEAs Universities WEA Headquarters (Financial year) … … … 36,000 — — WEA Districts (Educational year): Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire … 56,350 12,775 1,225 Eastern … … … … … … 102,100 21,548 — East Midlands … … … … … 105,000 46,359 2,839 London … … … … … … 58,200 10,000 — Northern … … … … … … 72,900 15,297 550 North Staffordshire … … … … … 35,650 15,830 550 North Western … … … … … 68,400 22,704 500 Southern … … … … … … 85,200 7,717 438 South Eastern … … … … … 41,800 18,107 900 South Western … … … … … 48,300 14,145 600 Western … … … … … … 85,350 20,054 700 West Lancashire and Cheshire … … … 84,600 19,902 450 West Midlands … … … … … 60,400 17,359 1,000 Yorkshire, North … … … … … 100,850 41,594 1,587 Yorkshire, South … … … … … 46,900 20,488 2,373 North Wales … … … … … … — — — South Wales … … … … … … — — — Totals … … … … … … … 1,052,000 303,879 13,712
§ Mr. Heddleasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he is satisfied with the working of the new grant arrangements for the Workers Educational Association;
(2) if he is satisfied with the financing, functioning and development of the Workers Educational Association; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dr. BoysonThe provision of the Further Education Regulations 1975, as amended, enables my right hon. and learned Friend to satisfy himself as to the effective and appropriate application by the Workers Educational Association and its districts of the funds made available to them by central Government under the new arrangements introduced in 1977–78. To preserve their contribution locally to the development of provision for the education of adults, the Government are endeavouring to maintain in real terms the level of such funding. Reductions in the resources made available from other quarters which are too severe to be countered by the substantial increases already introduced in
Place 1977 Duration (in weeks) Students Place 1978 Duration (in weeks) Students Greece 2 60 USSR 2 46 Turkey 2 46 Jersey 1 21 USSR 2 23 Greece 2 25 TOTALS … 3 6 129 3 5 92 No summer schools were organised in the areas specified in the question by the
230Wthe level of student fees charged by the districts could, however, result in serious damage to the nature, quality and quantity of their contribution.
§ Mr. Heddleasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many summer schools organised by the Workers Educational Association between 1975 and 1980 have been held in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Turkey, Greece and Jersey; what was the duration of these courses; what were the educational purposes of these courses; how many students were involved; and how the costs of such courses were financed.
§ Dr. BoysonSummer schools designed to permit as full a study as possible in the time available of the life of the country visited, and paid for in full by the students concerned without recourse to public funds, were organised by the Workers Educational Association in 1977 and 1978 in districts in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Turkey, Greece and Jersey on the following basis:
Workers Educational Association in 1975, 1976, 1979 and 1980.