UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1702, 19 March 1913, Page 4

UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS.

• Sir—The correspondents who have written criticising your leader of March G fail to grasp the true spirit of your main contentions, and what possible glimmer of light "Lumeu" (surely a "11011 lucendo") thinks he is throwing on the subject, it is difficult to sec. Docs 110 mean to say that' the same principles that are applied to tho tests 111 a special lino of expert studies, such as the final in the LUB. examination, should bo applied to the matriculation, which, ns you point out, should bp a test of genraal cduccilionul fitness merely to enter on such special line of studies? And what on earth has the fact that "40 to SO per cent fail in the London matriculation" got to do with the question? Two blacks do not make a white, and if the London University authorities uru pursuing the same fatuous course us is pursued here, then the more shame to them that they don't know better. As a matter of fact, tho English Universities are the last places in which to look for relornis, aud as anyone conversant with university movement knows, if the "Dons" hal had their way there would never have been any real teaching of science in - some of tho Home universities. "Lumen's" very phraseology betrays the presence of tho examination microbe from which he suffers; he evidently hus no higher idea of the functions of a university than that it should be a mere "passing" or "plucking" machine —a setter-up of educational "hurdles"; and the fact that he has known boys of It to "take these hurdles," as lie expresses it, is quite sufficient proof to his luminous mind of the benefits to education of tho present system. 'Possibly lie Inaj- recollect that in "Tristram Shandy" there are more remarkable instances still of precocious achievements, and he maj_ also recollect "Uncle Toby's" very practical suggestion as -to -ivliat ought to have been done with them. The most serious phase of the question, and the one that has been overlooked by your correspondents is the evil effect that tho examination system has on our secondary schools—they are entirely dominated by it. Your correspondent "J.R.8." writes like a scholar, and evidently knows what he is writing about, but even he views the subject more from the standpoint of purely university requirements than from tne standpoint of benefit or otherwise to education in genoral, and to secondary education in parocular. Secondary education is stifling under ' this examination incubus. As parents know only too well, tho instruction in the average secondary school means for boys and girls- alike, at the most critical stage of their lives, an unintelligent, harassing, interminablo grind of text-books and "home work." Some time ago the Senate decided that the standard of matriculation should be raised. Surely this . was a matter that motives of policy, or even ordinary courtesy, demanded that those who were chiefly responsible for the preparation of matriculation candidates should be consulted, or at least shown some consideration —aud what did the Senate do®, Suggest or formulate some rational scheme of study or instruction for the-guidance of secondary teachers? Did it seek their advice or even their opinion as to tho ■best means of achieving the desircdiend? rjo! It merely "stiffened up" the tests; that is to say, the governing body-of tho highest educational institution in tho country had no higher ideal of education than that its salvation lay in examina-tion-room tests. And what was the natural result? ' More home-work, more cram," more "bludgeoning" of the unhappy secondary pupil with text-books! I 11m taking up far too much of your valuable space already, or, I could rive you a list of text-books dscd by a secondary pupil in his ordinary matriculation course \vhich would surprise you. j. ho institution of the rural and ngricutural courses in the district high schools is the one reform that has for years been effected in secondary education, and that has come, not from tho university to which the country had a right to look for reform, but from, tho Education Department—a Department concerned mainly with primary education. These courses, moreover, dealing though' they do. with interests which affect the very existence of an agricultural and pastoral country such'as this, are suffering from their conflict with tho examination requirements of the university. Sir, it is not a question of examiners; 10 1 examln ers are good men and will stand comparison with any "at Home, many of them, indeed, are as keen for reiorm as anyone; still less is it a question of 40 or 50 per cent of "pass" or fait —it is a question of a thoroughly rotten system of examinations and, tests which are. opposed in spirit and in practice to t]i« teachings of all the great educationists of the day. A system which lias been m vogue for thousands of years in China, where it has reached its greatest development, and which, with Ghin-ese-like ineptitude, our authorities persist in continuing here. But in China even, public opinion is clamouring for university reform; and it is certainly to bo hoped that your article may liiako some impression at least on those of our examination mandarins who are so persistent in blocking the way to reform in this .country.—l am, etc.,