Education to cost still more—Mrs. Thatcher

A Warning that education would become more and more expensive was given by the Secretary of State for Education and Science, Mrs. Margaret Thatcher, in Birmingham.

Because of the cost factor, Britain could not contemplate nursery education for some time, she said.

Speaking at the annual dinner of the City Council's Conservative group Mrs. Thatcher said that education was a costly business and was going to become more expensive as the demand continued to grow.

“We cannot have nursery education because of the cost,” she said.

“Do you know that the annual cost of educating a child in a nursery school according to the latest statistics is £202 per child per year?

“It is the highest cost in the educational programme, and compares with £160 in a primary school and £186 in a secondary school.”

Oblique

Mrs. Thatcher made only an oblique reference to Birmingham's successful “keep the grammar schools” campaign when threatened by the Labour Government with compulsory comprehensive education.

The Conservative Government, she said, had already natched up on great achievement—it had shown quite clearly that militancy did not pay.

This was a tremendous change and was not to be underrated.

Only 12 months ago in most things militancy did pay, but the fact that this no longer applied was “a great victory” for the Government.