§ Mr. Andrew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, further to his answer of 27 November,Official Report, column 535–36, if he will calculate the costs of educating and training a student for (a) the postgraduate certificate of education and (b) the articled teacher scheme with the average cost of a first degree included, so that the totals are comparable with the figure for the bachelor of education.
§ Mr. FallonThe average cost of training a student for the postgraduate certificate of education is about £27,000 and for the articled teacher scheme about £40,500, inclusive of the average cost of a first degree. As in my previous answer these costs take into account institutional funding and student support, and, in the case of articled teachers, the additional expenditure incurred by participating local education authorities and supported through the GEST programme. The bursary for articled teachers, which is the main item covered by the GEST programme, is the equivalent of about a year of a student grant and a first year of a teacher's salary.