UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 1, 24 August 1943, Page 6

UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE

RAISING OF SCHOOL AGE ADDRESS BY DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION" In a special address to the members of the Vocational Guidance Association, the Director of Education, Dr. C. E. Beeby, recently gave a most instructive address on the subjects of accrediting and the raising of school-leaving age. We have been asked by the Headmaster of the YThakatane School, Mr 1. Hubbard, lo publish the address for the benefit of parents who may have the problem in mind.

I gather that you would like me to-talk to-day on two .subjects -which are related: accrediting lor University Entrance and raising of sehoolileaving age. They are both changes to be taken together. Thcj' necessarily involve changes of attitude to the education system. The accrediting scheme as it is understood is that there -will be accrediting foiled :=• the University (all tentative)., on the basis of four year's satisfactory worfc at a post-primary school. You could have accrediting without any examination at all, or you have the School Certificate examination plus one year" beyond it. (Dr Beeby wanted the first suggest tion and the secondary schools wanted the second). It seems that 'the University should demand a certificate for four years' secondary schooling and, the schools could use the School Certificate. Examination, plus one year. It is possible that English must be compulsory; it is also possible that special faculties will demand special subjects. For those who arc not accredited in the usual way, there will still be. Matriculation as an outside examination at a higher level than at present in, say, three subjects. An essential part of the scheme is the appointment of liaison officers., to act as links between the University and the schools. They avou'Ul be officers of the University. The3 r would have to examine from any school any pupil; for whom an examination is necessary; they would also have access, to records of pupils leaving schools, Avould discuss individuals with teachers, follow them through the University and sec if any particular school were putting up people not properly educated and prepared. On particular problem a-t the moment is that the School Certificate Examination will: now take a large plage, in the secondary school. The University Entrance Examination would have only one function and, that, is to measure ability for University wor<k. The School Certificate would become a cc.rtificaitc to prove u satisfactory four years' course at, a secondai\y school. Several; problems, arise from this: (1) Should the School Certificate be given by accrediting or by examination? If it is given by examination, could we devise some method of giving the schools' estimates of pupils? (2) The second problem is this: University Entrance, as defined in the Universitj- Calendar, was to test people who applied to attend the University, and as such was not concerned with the. measurement of youngsters at the end of their secondary education. The School Certificate Examination is trying to measure whether or not a pupil has had a satisfactory secondary education.

Problems of General Theory: Suppose that you will raise the school leaving age in one year, what are you going to do ayi th the 9,000 or 10,000 children? Some ol' them had had enough schooling and. do not want any more. Where Avill you put them? Some ay ill come hack into primary .schools, but primary schools probably cannot give them any more. The children want different training. Would you put them into secondary schools? Some schools would not be able to cater lor 'them, and this would he a very expensiA'e form of education for lhe.se people. Technical schools are better equipped to cater for them, but. ayc Avant technical schools to be building up the length of stay at their schools. tt seems that the Intermediate School is ideally situated to cope with these children. It is les.s expensive. Just as the secondary school wLI be able to provide a round, ingoff course for these aylio do not want a un'.A r ersily education, so the Intermediate School could give a roiiiiding-oil for children aylio do not want to go on to u secondary school. Purposes: 1. The doubtful one of tiying to keep them out of industr3\ 2. To carry on the mechanics of education. 3. To provide a period

of .social intergi-ation. (For these children, to* introduce them to a world of Avork). Guidance is one of the chief functions of the Intermediate School, but. not the only function or the most important. What is the curriculum to be? What is the least that you can let them away with as citizens? The standard of work reached by the primary school must be understood by secondary schools. (Dr. Bceby then spoke of building from below, not hanging above. Yet, academic standards have to be maintained. The Intermediate Schoo'l then becomes something of a

piA'ot. Dr Bccby asked for suggestions from the Vocational Guidance Association. Arc these children to be kept for just one year? Is there to be part-time, education etc? Here, one must remember that the relationship Avith apprenticeships must be considered. Certain ways in which the Education Department could control the work in schools: By free place regulations, by the Public Entrance Examination, etc. Bceby asked, "Do you want to givo a Avide choice of subjects or don't we?" Immediate modification Avould be necessary for the first 18 subjects. They avou'Ul need to be altered because there would be no University Entrance examination. Hoav is the control to be exercised? Post-primary education has, been very, largely that of a matter of helping the career of the individual as such rather than of the individ,ual as a member of the community. There has. been a Avide choice of subjects. Has any society a right to demand that any person pretending to have a complete education should know certain things, should have a UnoAvledge of certain things. Can you say that a person really is qualified to take his place as a citizen if he knows nothing of science? Can a person understand his Year Book or Government Budget unless he knows something of statistical: method not ordinarily attached, to any course? What is to determine the type of subjects taught? Is it the. demands of society or is it to be the requirements for a course to lead

on to ;i profession or occupation ? That problem-has to be solved first, find then ) r ou Avill decide on a complete broad course or a restricted one. If you do want to restrict it, then what sort of restrictions are you going to lay down? This has to be decided immediaitely. Everybody, obviously, must take English and Social Studies beyond Form 111 or even beyond Form JIV. Whether everybody ought to dp mathematics or arithmetic is a moot point. Should everybody do practical work or physical work? Having decided between wide choice and restriction, you still have to decide on the scope of subjects. We are brought here to a possibility. In .the post-primary school at the moment, Form 11(1 is comparatively broad in its scope. In Form IV, there is still something of the sort but it. has to ■come down so as to lit the Public Service Entrance Examination at the end of the year. In Form V, it. narrows to University Entrance.. After University Entrance, there is broadening out for a year after. Keep in mind that this broadening is only for the people who. stay on after Matriculation, and; as well they are going on the University, so that. <they are. the people with whom you could afford to narrow. The broadening should have been done earlier and the narrowing should be later, in the year •following University Entrance.

Problems: 1. School Certificate Examination versus accrediting. 2. How far the function of liaison officers of the University shall 1 go. 3, Wide choice versus restricted choice of subjects. The claims of the individual as an individual or as a member of the community. -\ . The scope of individual subjects. 5, Choice of subjects; as individual subjects or as groups as subjects.