§ Captain Bullockasked the Minister of Education what is his present policy with regard to the teaching of French in schools; what plans exist to improve these facilities; and whether he will give an estimate of the annual output from the schools and universities in this country of persons capable of reading, writing and talking French.
§ Mr. TomlinsonPresent policy is directed towards a more realistic study of the language and a greater understanding of France's contribution to Western civilization by the inclusion of graded reading programmes of works for rapid and intensive study, but without sacrifice of the need for adequate oral practice and accurate pronunciation and intonation. Present facilities will be improved as the arrangements for the interchange of young graduate teachers, correspondence between individual pupils and the linking of schools in the two countries are developed.
135WI have no figures for the universities, but in 1947 46,757 pupils passed with credit in French in the School Certificate Examinations, and 5,658 pupils passed in the subject in the Higher School Certificate Examinations.