Bursary Schemes Have Their Drawbacks

Chronicle (Levin), 24 August 1949, Page 6

Bursary Schemes Have Their Drawbacks

Press Association)

(Per

WELLINGTON, August 23. The bufsary position was beco'ming difiieult with Government Departments vying with one another to. provide bigger and better bursaries to draw staff to themselves. This comment was made by the Prochancellor of the University of New Zealand, Mr. L.,J. Wild, at a meeting of the senate. . The /senate,had before it a recommendation . f roin the academie board 'that the senate set up a cpmmittee repreSentative of the University, Education Department and other interested bodies, to reyiew the dift'erent bursary schemes and to make recommendations. : Dr. H. R. Hulme, ; academic head of panterbury College, -said the view of Ihe academic board was that the Whole system of bursaries was unsound. He /referred. to a passage in the board 's report oir scientilic manpower resources in New. Zealand, whieh stated: "We think the bursary scheme is fundamentally unsound. It appears to us that it is a way of getting round the fact that professions in the pay of the Government are seriously underpaid in this oountry so that it is necessary r.o induee the people to go into underpaid jobs by oifering them bursaries covering their education. We believe it is uneconomic .and wrong to foree people to choose their careers before they come up to the University. We recognise, hdweyer, ; that as a temporary expedient f or; obtaining entry to certain professions, the present bursary system is useful but as a permanent poiicy we\ would condemn it heartily. " The 'deciaidn to hold a conference was approye.d ahd tlie subject was referred to the exeeutive for action.