LONDON UNIVERSITY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1764, 31 May 1913, Page 2

LONDON UNIVERSITY.

REPORT OF ROYAL COMMISSION,

LESSONS FOR NEW ZEALAND,

(By T. n. Labv.) • The final—ami unanimous—report of the Hoyai Commission that was appointed four years ago to inquire into university education in London, lias been issued. The University of New Zealand, when it was founded in IS7O, was modelled on the examining University nf London as constituted at that time. The latter university was to so;no extent reconstituted in Ifc'tlS, but 1110 functions of our own liavo not been modified in any essential iunction. The conclusions of tlio English Commission in consequence refer in several places to conditions which are identical with our own at least so far as principles of educacatiou are involved. As to the personnel of the commission, "The Time.-," in the courso of a leading article on I lie subject, observes that "tlio chairman of the commissioners was Lord Hnldane, whose knowledge of university at home and abroad, is unrivalled. With him were Lord .Milner, a scholar of great distinction as well as a great administrator; Hir Robert lionier, a Senior Wrangler in Ills day, ami recently a Lord Justice; .Mr. Laurence Carrie, Airs. Creighton, Hir \\', M'Cormick, and Air. E. 11 Surg,int. Tho result of the long deliberations of theso highly-qualified persons is a document which, reflecting n,s it does the best educational thought of our times, will long remain a 'locus classicus' on university organisation."

Who Should Examine. On tho question of ijegrros and examinations, tlio report says that the granting of degrees is ono of the chief characteristics of a university, though not the real end of its existence. The commissioners hold that a degree should signify that a university education has been received. Certain' tests, they say, must bo applied for tho purpose of ascertaining this, and might ,to bo of such a kind as to afford trustworthy evidence of what

they aro intended to siiow; but it-is important that ttiese tests should not bo injurious to tho education given by tlio university. On tho other hand, they ought to assist tho end in view. In Eni;-

land examination is the main test employed. Tho commissioners proceed to consider how far an examination is an adequate test to apply (1) when conducted solely by external examiners, and (2) when conducted largely by the touchers of the students examined; and how far in each caso it is injurious lo (ho real education of the students or can bo nindo to assist its ends. The conclusion at which they arrive is that a ptiroly external examination, based upon a syllabus, does not satisfy the iirst condition of a proper test, 'because it is a test of knowledge only and knowledge at the time of the examination, it is not a lest of tho quality of the work which Ims been done nor o"f tho education which has been received. And, further, they think (hat it fails to satisfy tho second condition required because it is injurious to the education of tho students, inasmuch as it tends to promoto uneducalional methods of prcpara-

lion—that is to say, various forms of cramming.

On the other hand, an examination conducted in tho main by the teachers and based upon tho instruction which they have given is, up to a certain point, a valuable and educative lest to apply, lilit if taken alone it is insufficient, and tho question of graduation ought not to bo allowed to depend exclusively upon

lliis I est, since the whole record of tho student during his university career should bo talccu into account.

"We are convinced," tho Commissioners say, "that both a detailed syllabus and an external examination aro inconsistent with tho trite interests' of University education, injurious to the students, degrading to the teachers, nud ineffective for the attainment of the ends they are supposed to promote. Tho insistence on n system of external examinations is always based upon want of faith in tho teachers. Even tho so-called internal examinations of the University of London 'aro practically external becauso of tlio targe number of institutions involved and tho demands of the common syllabus; and the syllabus is-a device to maintain, a standard among institutions which are not all of university rank.- The effect upon tho students and tli© teachors. is disastrous. Tho students have the ordeal of tho examination hanging over them aud .must prepare themselves for it or fail to get tho degree. Thus tho degree comes first and the education- a bad second. They cannot help thinking of what will 'pay. They loso theoretio interest in tho subjects of study, and with it tho freedom, the thought, tlio Tellection, tho spirit of inqyiry which aro tho atmosphere of university work. They cannot pursue knowledgo both for its own sake and also for tho sake of passing tho test of an examination." Tlio Commissioners feel, however, that in tho present state of university education in London tho univorsity must oontinuo to recognise work of a lower standard, or not done under conditions which guarantee that the standard is equal to itii own, until thcro is a general understanding of tho true meaning of a university education. But they insist that tho recognition of this must not bo allowed to

hamper 'the development of the teaching over which tho university has complete control. Internal Examinations. In a. previous part of their report tho commission state that tho university should consist of constituent colleges and university departments. The examinations for degrees will bo condnctfxl in each constituent college by tho teachers. Tho head of each department, and under his direction tho other teachers in tho department, would bo tho examiners of the students; but for the purposes of the public examinations for degrees ono or two assessors appointed by tho faculty would bo conjoined with the head of tho department. Although the examinations of tho constituent colleges might vary, tho standard for tho degreo would bo secured by maintaining tho standard of tho education leading up to it; nrnl tho standard of the education would in turn be secured by maintaining tho standard of the tenchei'H and the fitnoss of tho students to profit by tho teaching. Unless this view of tho standard of the degree were rccogmscd, the Commissioners do not think that any otfectivo organisation of tho university would be possible. Tho faculties would bo assured by reports: (a) From boards of studies that the range of study in a subject as treated by different teachers .would broadly bo tho f>aino; and (b) from its assessors that tho standard of tho examinations and other tests was broadly the same. Iho Commissioners say that some test must ho applied to tho existing schools of the univcrsitv in each faculty in order t<> ascertain if they are of .such standing as to justifv their admission to the privileges proposed for tln-ir teachers.- A criterion has been supplied for tho faculties ot arts, science, Jaws, engineering, and economics bv tho action the university has taken with regard to tho conferinont of the titles of university professor anil

university reader, llio Uimmissionois say thev intend to apply that; test, whicti, though" a rough one, is sulhciently accurate for their purpose, in flonsidernig under the head of each faculty abovomentio'ied tho amount of university teaching of high rank at present existing, nun the. additions (hat must be mails (o it in order to fit particular institutions to become constituent- colleges of the unmu.ilv in that faculty. This test cannot bo applied to the faculties ot medicine, theology, or music. Organisation Defective, The Commissioners considered tho whole organisation, of 1 he universitv tmidamonlafly defective, and proposed that the universitv should in iiiture consist of constituent colleges and miivcMtv < epavlnuMits. The siliireme power ot mo iinivei'sity would lie vested in n[ wiile y ronreMMilMive oourl, ot flbout -00 mombors, Willi legislative, rather than executive, powers. The Senate, consisting ot fifteen members, would be the exectiliw. body of the university. '' lll \ v "i' 0 vinml that the eanw of the diihcul us which arise from the relations ot the two sides of the university (the external anil internal) lies milch deeper tluill tho machinery of government, and that the evidence shows that the academic and external councils nre dominated bf incompatible ideals. The former behove that

1 training in a university under university teachers is an essential and by jar tho most important factor in university call* cation* while the latter hold that examinations bused upon a syllabus aflord a guidance by test" which is an adequate means of ascertaining that a candidate has attained a standard of knowledge entitling liini to university degree. lhc Commissioners further express the opinion that the claims of the external side form the real ground of the defective working of the university so far as that is due to the present relations of the two sides.

Variety of Schools. Tho variety of teaching institutions connected with the university as its schools, and their complete financial independence of each other and of tho university, involve difficulties which havo prevented tho university from carrying out iho duty of organising the higher education of London. The university has no voice in the appointment of the teachers in the schools. The independence of the schools is not confined to the appointment and control of their teachers—it extends to their whole financial and educational policy, so that tlio university cannot prevent unnecessary and wasteful duplication of work—e.g., ill the Schools of Engineering (duplication in engineering exists in New Zealand) and Medicine. Tho powers of tho Senate over the schools are, indeed, extremely limited, and consist of (I) the power of visitation, which has never been fully exercised; (2) the power of prescribing tho courses oi' study lor degrees—a power which, though possibly be.'U'iieial for tlio weaker institutions, is generally i'elt to hamper the best tcachiinr in the stronger schools.

Tiio university should provide its oivn teachingt-i.0., it must appoint, pay, pension, and dismiss its tcachers. Tho standard of !v teaching university could Im maintained only by tho rigid exclusion of students unfit for university work, and tho existence of a body of highly-Qualified teachers. Tho teachers should, under certain specified safeguards, have control of tiio education and examination of their students. Tho university must have complete financial control of all tho institutions within it. This control should bo vested in a small council of tlio Senate, acting as the supreme exocutivo body of tho university.

• , Evening Students. With regard to evening teaching, tho Commissioners thought that a collego of equal rank with tho best day colleges of the university should bo available for evening students. It was only in exceptional cases that such students could profit to tho full extent by a complete university course. They thought,, however, that thoro wero in London a sufficient number with the patience and strength of purpose to 'complete such a course, and that they should have tho opportunity of doing so.' r*ln AucklanjJ and Wellington practically all the university teaching is-enrried on after 4 p.m.]

On the subject of the entrance examination to the university—lately the subject of discussion here—it is laid down that tho first condition which in list bo fulfilled. ill order to enable a university to work as it should, is that {Tic students should have received a sound goneral education. This must depend upon tho organisation of Fccontlnry education ill tho country, and tho Commissioners lake the riow that tho normal portal of entrance to tho university should bo a school examination.* [•Thus the existing matriculation would be abolished.]