§ Mr. MORGANasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many schools have been erected in Palestine without government aid by the Jewish and Arab communities, respectively?
Mr. M. MacDONALDI will ask the High Commissioner for Palestine to supply the figures, and will communicate with my hon. Friend when I receive the reply.
§ Mr. MORGANasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the amount of the Government grant to Arab schools and to Jewish schools in Palestine, respectively; whether this is a per capita grant; and, if so, whether it is a grant per capita of children attending schools or of the total number of children of each section?
Mr. M. MacDONALDApart from certain private Arab schools, the schools for Arab children are provided and administered by the Palestine Department of Education. The Jewish schools, with the exception of certain private schools, are maintained and administered by the general council of the Jewish community, which receives an annual block grant from the Palestine Government based on 1853W the expenditure which the Government would incur if it undertook responsibility for providing education for Jewish children on the same scale as it does for Arab children. Government expenditure on Arab schools in the financial year 1933–34 amounted to £159,736, and the grant to the Jewish schools for the current year, which is based upon that figure, will be £36,096. In addition, private schools which provide a minimum of general education and fulfil certain other conditions are eligible for per capita grants amounting to 4s. a head in elementary grades and 10s. a head in secondary grades.