§ Mr. J. E. B. Hillasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the number of mature students in training as teachers in the last year for which figures are available; what proportion of the total number of students that figure represents; and how the wastage rate of mature students in training compares with that for other students.
§ Mr. Gordon WalkerAmongst students in colleges of education, art training centres and university departments of education in October, 1966, there were 13,927 mature students, defined as students who were aged 25 or over on the 31st December following entry to training. They comprised 5,273 men and 8,654 women and represented 16 per cent. of the total number of teachers in training. Estimates of in-course wastage rates have been made by expressing the number of successful exits in 1965–66 as a percentage of the number of entrants to various courses in the appropriate years previously, and are given in the following table. Some students will pass their examinations at a later stage.
ESTIMATED WASTAGE RATES OF STUDENTS ON COURSES OF INITIAL TRAINING Percentage Men Women Mature students 11 14 Other students 11 12