HC Deb 03 July 1979 vol 969 cc521-2W
31. Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals he has to ensure that pupils leaving secondary schools are properly educated in new technology.

Mr. Macfarlane

Responsibility for the education of pupils in secondary schools, in new technology as in other matters, rests primarily with the local education authorities and the schools themselves. The advice and assistance of the Schools Council and the Council for Educational Technology are available to the education service generally on matters relating to the curriculum and educational technology. My colleagues and I will be considering the scope for a programme to promote an awareness of microelectronics in schools and colleges in the light of public expenditure decisions and the part to be played by the education system as a whole in developing and applying this new technology.