§ 104. Mr. K. Lindsayasked the Secretary of State for War how many National Service men entered the Army last year; how many of these were unable to read and write; and what investigations have been made into the reasons for their illiteracy.
§ Mr. ShinwellDuring 1948 approximately 100,000 National Service men entered the Army. Approximately 2,000 were sent to special preliminary education courses as being either illiterate or of extremely low literacy. Reports are made periodically by officers and instructors engaged in providing basic education for illiterate soldiers. The general conclusions are that the main causes of illiteracy are innate backwardness and interruptions to education as a result of ill-health and other reasons.