THE MATRICULATION EXAMINATION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1699, 15 March 1913, Page 10

THE MATRICULATION EXAMINATION.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, —There is no denying that much of the criticism at present aimed at the University Matriculation Examination is deserved, but it is much easier to point out defects than to suggejt suitable remedies. In ' discussing university problems in "New Zealand it ought never to bo forgotten that tho situation here is unique. There is no university in tho world where four so widely separated teaching institutions are linked together under ono common head as they aro here. The University of Wales is no real parallel, for the colleges there ara at short distances apart and joint meetings and action are easy and not expensive. The new University of Ireland is another institution of a similar character, but I have been informed that it is finding it difficult to bear the excuse involved by bringing tlie constituent bodies together. There is no doubt that something like a Board of Directors is required for the satisfactory control of the matriculation, examination, but no ono has yet made any suggestion as to who should constitute such a board, how often it should meet, and what would be the probnblo cost. The national controllers of the examination are the teachers in the four affiliated colleges, for they only can know what kind of preliminary training is required by those who aro subsequently to attend their lectures. If tho Professorial Conference had been continued . and if to it had boon assigned tho management of tlie matriculation examination, some satisfactory arrangements might liavo been involved. A correspondent in your issue of March 12 desires the. closer association of the school teachers .with the examination and the institution of a'leav-iiiß-cortificate examination, as in England aild Scotland. I do not know whether your correspondent is fully conversant with. the details of the Scotch- system. It is. quite true that the teacher does have sonic,small say in determining the results, but the main factor is a written examination, common to all tho schools, find differing from oiuv examination mainly in the fact that it is conducted, not 1 by the university, but by the Education •Dpparbnenr. By setting up certain rigid rules in connection with the examination to which all schools under its control must conform, the Scotch Education Department has succeeded in binding the secondary schools of Scotland in bands of steel and has put an end to much of that individuality that used to characterise, Scotch education. For instance, it is -now-, very- difficult to teach (iree,c in' n Scotch • secondary school tlie. result of which has been that the universities have had, to resume the ele-mentary-teaching of that language, which they had abandoned after the reforms of some twenty years ago. It remains to bo seen whether the training/ certificate in Scotland is to prove a blessing or a curse.

It ought, not to be forgotten tliat the present, matriculation examination, with all its defects, has in recent Tears been preatly improved. It is still fairly elas- '■,?, , 110H " secure that every candidate passing it lias pot the eleDiGiits .of an fill-round education, and cannot present too many' shoddy . subjects,,as used, to ; he the case. Critics, of an examination like the matriculation examination exist everywhere—in the-Old Country as ivell as in New Zealand. They are in-most cases disappointed candidates or their parents, and 'such would only rSi Sn Ji' s ® P er con t- always passed. a - ' )a55 of per cent, is unnaturally low is a point that can only lie settled by comparative statistics. I am inchncd to think that the fail in all such examinations.is'-always a hijrli one— and if it is the casej ns you remarked in your leader, that a considerable number ■of candidates who have only had three years at a secondary school "arc presenting themselves for an examination which theoretically involves four, one need not be surprised if the number of failures .is correspondingly great. .Such candidates aro really sitting , wide/ false pretences,. Again, if' many, candidate's-. take"tKe ex-, aminations, not ; because' 1 they wisli tt enter the university, but for some other reason, that also -\vill hclv to increase the percentage of failures':- The examination is 'essentially a''university entrance examination, and ought to be' criticised as such. If the judges have made It also, a preliminary _to the solicitor's qualification or Hie Institute of Accountants, a' pre-, liminar.v to tho accountant's qualification, that, is their concern, not the university's. I do not imply that the examination is not suitable for-such a' purpose, but there is Jio doubt that this use of it lias tempted many to sit for it who are not properly prepared, and this fact ought also to be taken .into consideration in connection with its apparent severity. As a university, entrance examination. I do not think that the present I 'standard is at all too high, if the university colleges are to do the higher work wliiph the country has a right to expect from them. . «A disadvantage under which education in New Zealand undoubtedly labours is the multiplicity of examinations. Would it not be possible to combine the matriculation examination and the junior civil service examination? These examinations are not entirely dissimilar in their scope and apneal to very much the same typo of candidate. I do not suggest that, one of the two should absorb, the oilier, but rather that a new examination should bo instituted to take the place of them both. If n permanent examination board were set up for this purpose consisting of representatives of the university, tho Education Department, and the secondary schools, I believe that it would be possible to reconcile the .conflicting interests, to secure that suitable papers were set, and to maintain a consistent standard of pass m all the subjects. There are, of course, obvious difficulties in such a scheme, but there are few difficulties of a practical nature that cannot be overcome by tho exercise of a little common sense.—t am, etc- J.R.B.

Sif,—Your article in reference to the matriculation examination, appeal-ill" ill your issue of Tuesday, March 4*, deserves far more attention than appears to have been given to it in tho public print. For it was a timely article, and' in most part not easily contradicted. You have earned the sincere thanks of many students and secondary school teachers. You get very closo to the heart of tho matter when you observe that "when 90 out of 150 candidates from this .city alone lire rejected, then it must bo fairly apparent that there is something wrong with tho methods of cither the secondary teachers or/ tho examiners." And you incline to tho latter opinion. And'so does tho bulk of the'community who are in-any way fitted to judge. Of course, secondary teachers will admit that they sometimes send up a candidate- whom they know to ba not quite ready for tho examination, because tho parents cannot afford to keep the pupil another year at tho high school,. and there is ''just a chance", that the candidate will get through. But that does not account for the,debacle of last examination. Something like consternation has been -produced, all over' the Dominion. The present writer- knows a secondary teacher eminently successful in.his work. He sent up seven candidates and was fairly confident of'at least six. Not one of them got through; . And this teacher will say that these pupils were just as poor as those' who passed in former years;

■ You write that it is a common experience for a candidate to pass in a subject one year and fail in it the next. I know this to be true. It is indeed a very common anil a very trying experience. The present writer knows of a candidate who. passed in all subjects but one in 1910. The same performances was repeated in 1911. But in .1912, after much labour, this "Same candidate was rejected .in three subjects. True, the "eternal want of pence" compelled this candidate to go earning bread as well as carrying on study. That was indeed a handicap, but it docs not account for the rejection, as the student is eapabliftaml honest.. It .appears to mo that if tho University authorities continue their pre-sent-methods of appointing examiners, they must instruct these examiners to 'take the teachers of secondary schools into their confidence so that the latter luav know what standard is really required. At present nobody seems to know what is required. And tho conviction grows in intensity that tho management of tho University is shutting the door of learning in the face of all who are not possessed of riches.—l am, etc.,

JAMES M'CAW. - Knox Manse, Lower Hull. f

■ Sir,—l notice in your columns of to-day n v'ail from one who si(tns himself "Jfn Half Reform." This gentleman seems to

i . ~ \ ■ ' ~ bo -upset owing to , the fact that out of every hundred candidates who sit for this examination only forty have ability and knowledge enough to satisfy the examiners. lfo comes to the conclusion that the examiners are an irresponsible and arbitrary body -of men, and that (lie standard requisite for a pass is too high, and neglects or shuts his eyes to tlio other side of the question, i.e.,/that candidates sit for examination who are hopelesslyi inelfio'.cnt, and who liave not the remotest intention of becoming undergraduates of the university, but to whom a pass might be useful; as if they succeeded they would be ablo to say to a prospective" employer: "You can safely employ me, as I have passed.the matriculation examination, and thus I am a clever fellow." ■ - -

This examination is intended to bo n test of fitness for those who are about to enrol themselves 011 the books of the university, and those who sit for it without having this end in view have no right to complain when.they find out that they have, over-estimated their powers. The standard is clearly not too high, as we read of people aged fifteen.passing, and the writer, and 1 6everal others known to him, have cleared the hurdle at tho ago ,of fourteen years. Anyone of average ability can succeed with two years' training at a secondary school. Does "No Half Reform" know that for years past only 40 per' cent, to 50 per cent, have succeeded in passing the London University matriculation, examination, 1 that 50 per cent, arc "plucked" each year in the final papers for our LL.B. examination, that at tho- University of Cambridge only 40 per cent, of thosoVho start in tho running for thu degree of LL.B. succeed in passing tho finishingpost (and there, one failure is fatal, as no restart is permitted)? Tho • blame does not rest' upon the examiner's, . bnt-. upon tho candidates, or perhaps more .justly upon ->thoEO who are ','afraid-;!to call! ar-spiidern'sphde, and to' say to 1 a student:' "You ar'o" hot efficient enough, and have'no chance, of passing at present, and had'"belter, wait a year or so."—l am, etc., • LUMEN.- . • Wellington, March 12.