§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of secondary schoolchildren come from ethnic minority groups; what proportion of secondary school teachers come from such groups; and if he will take steps to recruit more teachers from ethnic minority groups.
§ Dr. BoysonMy Department does not at present collect statistics on the ethnic origin of pupils and teachers although the matter is within the terms of reference of the committee of inquiry on the educa-722W tional needs and attainments of children from ethnic minorities chaired by Mr. A. Rampton. Teachers are employed by local education authorities not by the Department of Education and Science. The Department has, however, encouraged a number of authorities to establish pilot preparatory courses to enable students from ethnic minorities to attain the standard necessary for entry to teacher training courses.