MATRICULATION

Hokitika Guardian, 27 February 1926, Page 1

MATRICULATION

!MPORTANT CHANGES

DUNEDIN. February 21. The matriculation examination this ■ear will he subject to an important bange, decided upon by the New Hearn,,! University Senate to-day, of .Licit the chief point is an average of :,,t less than to f>er cent of the ag-

■ legate marks ot five subjects. In submitting the report of the F.uI Examinations Coinm.ittee, the con veiu'r - Proles.xor Arnold Wall) sau! bar the comniittee had considered a v slciu recommended by the Board of studies. This was that, in order to pass, the candidate must get (ni 45 ;:cr cent, of the aggregate marks in live subjects, fli) at least 10 per cent English an<l in each of three other - objects, and l.e) at least 30 per lent, in the remaining subject. Tie committee'. aid Professor Wall, ha,| decided, however, that the system adopted would he in the form agreed :,,on by the Senate in 1925. but that candidate who had obtained partial , .i-.es would he allowed until Decetuor. 1925. to complete (instead of December. 1927). The new system, therefore, would require that, in order in obtain a pass, the candidate must id,tain (a i mil less Ilian T> per cent, of the aggregate marks in five suhx. 1,-s.s than 10 per coni, in English, and (<■) not less than 30 per cent, in any other subject.

Professor Wall said that he moved the adoption of this clause of the commit tee’s report, hut pro forma, as he lid not agree with the proposal. Tie considered that 30 per cent was altos pother too low a percentage. It was not right that a professor would have pi admit a student who had merely -craped through on a sullied.

Mr AY. .1. Morrell, considered that the Professor was laying too much emphasis on an individual ease. Tie seconded the adom.ion of the claii-c. Professor Hunter said that, the standard of the matriculation examination

ci- lon low. hut it was. perhaps, nil - isahle that it. should he raised gradully. and he supported the report beause ii, was a step towards raising he standard. He thought., too. that

it was a mistake to eliminate people who showed tin aptitude in special ■uihjects. He mentioned one ca«e where a student received high marks in all subjects except Ercncli. and particularly high marks <9l per coni.') in p'.athemnlies, yei because he had received only 3S ner cent, in French ho had failed. >ir Tlobert Stout chaffed the Senate

over its “ waste of time’’ in discussing matriculation at all. TTtul it not. he asked, decided bv It! votes to 3 that the examination was to he superseded bv intelligence Icsts? •‘This recommendation of The eon>iniifeo was deeided upon last year.” -aid Professor Hunter.

After Sir Robert had indulged in a little more satire at the expense of a member who had voted yesterday in favour of the experiment in intelligence tests, the clause was adopted. A letter has been received by the senate from. Professor Herbert Ram, say. of Otago T'niversity, protesting against the action of the examiners in •• failing ” candidates for the B.A. degree in English, candidates whom l.c considered worthy of a pass. ITo i untended that the examiners had been markedly unfair to extra literature • udepts in English, in support of v.liir’h ho drew n romnnrison iu tiic marks gained hv students who took a linguistic option. His host student in extra literature gained only IT per cent., while the host, student taking fie other gained 93 pm* cent. lie thought there was a distinct contrast in the treatment of candidates for extra literature and Anglo-Saxon, and he wanted to know if the unfairness to which lie alleged Otago students bad been subjected was general. The Hon. .1. A. Ila nan said that there were good reasons for having the matter investigated, and on his motion the letter was referred to the Art and Commerce Committee.