EDUCATION CHANGES MADE IN ENGLAND

Chronicle (Levin), 22 May 1946, Page 5

EDUCATION CHANGES MADE IN ENGLAND

( Special Correspondent. )

HELPING EVJERYBOD Y TO BEACH UNIVERSITIES

Received Tuesday, 7 p.m. LONDON, Mav 21. The limited ineonie of par.en.ts wil.1 no longer be a bar to their children atteiuL. ing universities in future. The AT inistry j of Education has decided that -as -fr.otu next autumn, auv boy or girl wlio wins an open scliolarsltip or exhiliition or State scholarslup, will be given an award l)ig enoug'h to cover fees and maintenauce at a univ.ersity. Until n ow sucli aid has been eonlined to 360 wiiiuers of Htate scholarships ; whose fees have been paid plus'a main- 1 tenanee grant. In future help will be j given to between 1500 .and 1600 yearly , and the present maintenance liiuit of j £100 will lie abolished. T.he need for J grants will be assessed on a generous ! basis.- Parents with incomes less than j £600 annually will pay nothing; on l-y ; £20 is expected from tliose eartiing up ' to £750; £80 up to £1000 and £157 up to ' £:1250. If the parents' incoine exceeds | £1500, the award will be hoiiorarv. i Local education autliorities will no! longer have to lielp these studeiits with . local awards. Tliey will therefore be | able to use their funds in lielping thosej lioys or girls who, though unsuccessful j in obtaining open or cxhi~ition scliolar- ; ships, are still fuTlv capable of taking i a university course with crodlt. It is estimated that when the new; scholarsliip .scheme is fully workingj (,1040-50), it will eost Ihe Gtate .annual- 1 ]_v about £800,000 compared with tlie! present expendit.ure of £520,000. The j new plan means that a niuch la.rgc.r ; number of studeiits will be helped to reac.h the universi.ti.es 'than ever. before. ! Tt is also announced that the hig'her' school cert-ifieate will be discontinued in its present forin and t.hat the sc.hool . certiflcate exami nation will be -abo-lish ! ed or .radicallv .cltangCd. Th.j Becoml- i arv Rchool Examination Council has ; been asked to work out details for aj higher examination and aclvise on the reform of the certifieate exami natiotu . The school certiflcate examination taken at^abont 16, is tlie passpo.rt to the! university or provides exemption from ! the preliminary pr-ofessional exami.ua- : tion. The higlier exami nat ion takou two yea-rs ,late.r is used as the means of selecting candida-tes for State and other scholarships at universities. It is reeognised that sixteen is too youtliful an age to test pupils for unive,rsity entrance since it involves "abnormal , cramming. "