SECONDARY SCHOOL EXAMINATIONS

Evening Star, Issue 19792, 16 February 1928, Page 16

SECONDARY SCHOOL EXAMINATIONS

HEFORTS OF HIGH SCHOOLS , B itlx regard to the annual examination results, the Rector of the Otago Hoys' High School and the .Lady PriuU>al of the Girls’ High School sub;.U,ed reports to the Board of Governs, which met yesterday afternoon. Jho Rector reported that of eight ■joys who sat for the University enuanee scholarship examination, T. G. (hooks and R. E. C. Beatson, with eighth and tenth places on the list, gamed university junior scholarships, md W. B. Higbet, with fourteenth dace, a university national scholarop—the last two at their first trial, ne other .five candidates all obtained odit: For matriculation and’allied .animations the school sent up niuety■i en candidates, including three who i. lied to complete the engineering preimiliary, and succeeded; but of these i.v were prevented from sitting or .iissed some papers owing to influenza or other illness. In all sixty-seven boys passed for matriculation, twenty of these also qualifying for the solicitors’ general examination and thirtyfour more for both that and medical preliminary. The number of full passes for matriculation last year was fiftyseven, and the previous year sixty-one. The proportion of passes to the total school entry was 74 per cent., against do per cent, in 1926 and 66 per cent, in 1925. The performance of the candidates was thus very satisfactory, and reflected credit on the forms concerned and their teachers, A notable feature of this year's results was their general agreement with those of the class work for the session. There were, of course, individual exceptions, but lie did not remember a year with fewer surprise passes or surprise failures. The new system of marking introduced in 1926, which had in some quarters been attacked, had, in his opinion, well justified itself, and should increasingly serve, with due guidance from teachers, to deter the more immature candidates from presenting themselves. For the senior national scholarships there were thirty-six candidates, of whom six gained scholarships, twentytwo more passed, and eight failed. Three younger boys of the school, sitting without any special preparation, gained junior national scholarships. For the Public Service entrance twenty-three passed and twenty-six failed. The number was unusually large, but this examination had of late years taken a less important place, as the matriculation pass was in itself a higher qualification, and the better candidates preferred to seek entrance in that way. The conditions under which the intermediate examination was conducted in 1927 differed from those of any previous year. All the candidates recommended, numbering 144 from our own school, were provisionally accepted by the department’s inspectors, and with the exception of two who left were awarded senior free places on completing the year. Only twenty-one paid the examination fee now charged, and sat for the examination, and of these only three passed; in the circumstances the small number was easily understood. Twenty-one young boys were granted a third year of the junior free place. With the changed conditions any statement of the total number of candidates sitting for examinations or of the general percentage of passes would be misleading as a comparison with previous years. In 1926 the number of candidates accepted on recommendation for senior free places was 127, and seven more passed the examination. Altogether the genei'al performance was, in his judgment, quite as good as in past years. Twenty-eight higher leaving certifiactes carrying university bursaries of a maximum value of £2O per annum, had been awarded to boys who left from the seniors forms in December, 1927. The report was adopted. The Lady Principal x-eported that the examination results were as follow: University national scholarship, 1; credit on scholarship examination, 5; matriculation —passed 37, failed 37; Public Service —passed 8; failed 8; senior national scholarships gained, 4; junior national scholarships gained, 2. Candidates for the Novcm ber-December examinations were in many cases at a disadvantage owing to oncoming influenza—two candidates for matriculation were unable to sit at all. The report was adopted.