§ Mr. J. Griffithsasked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies what proportion of the children in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony are able to attend school; and what steps are being taken to provide primary and secondary education for all the children in the Colony.
§ Mr. SandysPrimary education for all children between the ages of 6 and 16 is compulsory in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony. I would pay a warm tribute to the work of the missions which has made this possible.
Secondary education is provided for boys at the King George V School and for girls at the Elaine Bernacchi School. Both schools are Government maintained. There are also six secondary schools run by the voluntary missions but four of these schools are of lower secondary standard.
In addition a number of scholarships are awarded annually to selected students to provide higher secondary education and other training overseas.