§ Viscount Corvedaleasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the Forces Preliminary Examination is recognised by the Scottish universities; to what extent there is a shortage of teachers in Scotland; and what guarantee there is that a student, successful in a non-graduate scheme course in early 1947, will be accepted into the training college by the end of that year.
§ Mr. WestwoodResponsibility for the regulations governing entrance to the Scottish universities lies with the Scottish Universities Entrance Board, over which I have no jurisdiction, but I understand that the Board accepts a complete certificate gained at the Forces Preliminary Examination asprima facie evidence of eligibility to be considered for an Attestation of Fitness for entry upon a degree curriculum. In general applicants are required to supplement the passes they obtained in the Forces Preliminary Examination by passing the Preliminary Examination of the Scottish universities in one or two subjects which are prescribed by the Entrance Board after considering all the scholastic attainments and circumstances of the applicant concerned. From the latest information available the number of unfilled teaching posts in education authority schools in Scotland is approximately 430. It is virtually certain that a person who has been accepted early in 1947 for a non-graduate course of training as a teacher, and who is in a position to begin, will be admitted to such training at the beginning of the next academic term, that is, in April or September, 1947.