MATRICULATION EXAMINATIONS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1696, 12 March 1913, Page 5

MATRICULATION EXAMINATIONS.

Sir,—The thanks of all truly interested in education are due to you for your sub-leader in Monday's issue dealing with the recent matriculation examination. You expose one of the most serious defects in our system—the want of proper relationship between its integral parts. This weakness must react harmlully on the whole system, if in no other way certainly in preventing that unity of aim without which wo can have no true system. AYo are all too apt to take it for granted that the university does not directly affect our social ami industrial well-being as do tho primary ami secondary schools, ffe hold that to widen tho horizon, fo clarify the thought, to improve the working efficiency of everyday men and women is not the least important work of our university colleges. An irresponsible body of examiners' have dccided that CO per cent, of our picked youth ai'o not worth this higher training. I say irresponsible advisedly, for many of those" examiners are undoubtedly out of touch with either secondary or university teaching. Furthermore, each acts entirely oil his own initiative. AVe hold no biicf for tho Education Department, but with these examinations some unity of aim is ensured by careful regulations, while the Inspector-General and his staff control individual,examiners' idiosyncrasies. / The time has now surely ,!Come when such an obsolete and futile test of efficiency as our present matriculation- examination could reasonably be replaced by some .system of "leaving certificate," such as is in use in England, S Scotland, America, Germany, 'arid other older countries. Our professors are rightly asking for more control in tho examination of their students, our primary school teachers have got a reasonable measure of such control, why should the secondary teacher not have it? \ou wisely do not apportion the blame of the "matriculation debacle, but every thoughtful teacher, whether m college or school, cannot but agree with your inference.—l am, etc., NO HALF REEORM. March 5, 1913. .