§ 100. Mr. J. Johnsonasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, whether he is aware that 45,000 children of school age in the copperbelt of Northern Rhodesia are receiving no education; and what steps are being taken by the Northern Rhodesian Government to increase the provision of secondary schooling as a step towards the supply of more teachers.
§ Mr. ProfumoYes. I referred to the problem of the urban areas in the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 4th July, and dealt with Government measures to expand African secondary school education in the adjournment debate on 8th November. I would add that the Northern Rhodesia Government invited representatives of municipal, mining, commercial and African educational organisations to a conference on 4th December to investigate ways and means, particularly financial, of meeting the shortage of schools for Africans in the larger municipal and mining towns. The recommendations of the conference—of which I have sent a summary to the hon. Member—will shortly be considered by the Government there.