§ Mr. Skeffingtonasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken by the Government of Aden to provide common schools suitable for children of all communities; and whether the use of Arabic is compulsory in all schools.
Mr. Creech JonesSchools directly maintained by the Government of Aden provide primary and lower secondary education through the medium of Arabic, and higher secondary education through the medium of English. These schools are open to all races hut, in practice, the pupils in the primary and lower secondary Government schools are predominantly Arabs, as other communities have provided their own schools, most of which receive grants-in-aid from the Government. Arabic is not used in these schools.