AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES

Taranaki Daily News, 18 November 1926, Page 6

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES

THEIR MATRICULATION STATUS. GREATER RECOGNITION URGED. Students concentrating on agriculture and dairy science should receive consideration equal, at least, to those taking other subjects in the matriculation examination. That, in effect, is to be a recommendation to the senate of the New Zealand University from the Taranaki Education Board. It was felt, said the resolution passed at yesterday’s meeting, that the study of agriculture and dairying warranted being placed on a footing equal to Latin and Greek, either of which had the weight of two subjects in the examination. The question had been discussed by the board in October as a result of a suggestion from the Federation of Taranaki Co-operative Dairy Factories that approval should be given a proposal from the Factory Managers’ Association that dairy science should be granted the status of a separate subject in the matriculation examination. The opinion was then generally expressed that the syllabus was best left as it was. The knowledge required would be too advanced for boys attending secondary schools, it was said. Mr. A. Lees disagreed, however, and contended that a way could be found over the difficulties in order to give the study of dairying the prominence it deserved. The board decided to defer further consideration. There was no doubt that there were two sides to the question, said Mr. A. Lees yesterday. It seemed to him that the authorities should be asked to give an opinion whether the proposals could be brought into operation. There had been a good deal of discussion optside. If the board woifid recommend something on the lines indicated it would be helping the dairying industry. The chairman (Mr. S. G. Smith) said it was recognised now that greater attention should be paid to dairy science. He would support sending the matter to the -senate for consideration. Latin and Greek counted practically as two subjects for the matriculation examination, said the senior inspector ('Mr. N. R. McKenzie). Science of this nature was; given no special weight and he suggested that .this aspect should be included in any resolution framed. He had been sorry that in his own education he had had to squeeze out so many practical subjects. There would always be a cultural value in certain subjects to be included in any education system, but the amount of Latin or iFrench learnt by scholars at a secondary school was neither of much cultural nor practical value. He had known a good many university graduates, but of them all he could recall only one that had read Latin for pleasure. He had discussed the matter with Messrs W. H. Moyes and A. L. Moore, principals of the New Plymouth Boys’ High School and Technical College respectively, and both agred that too much prominence was given to languages to the disadvantage of the sciences. The solution seemed to be that dairy science should be weighted as two subjects, similarly to Latin and Greek, said the Rev, J. L, A. Kayll. He considered they should support the dairy federation in its efforts and suggested that in forwarding a resolution to the senate the board outline the proposal that dairying, agriculture and the underlying sciences should count as two subjects. Several amendments were made to the original motion, but eventually it was carried in the following form, on the proposal of Mr. Lees, seconded by Mr. Smith: “That in view of the importance of the dairy industry to this Dominion this board desires to draw the attention of the senate of the University of New Zealand to the advisability of amending the syllabus of the matriculation examination in order to provide that candidates who concentrate on agriculture and dairy science may receive consideration equal, at least, to that given the student in any other subject. The subjects of agriculture and dairy science, cover a wide range of study and it is felt that they warrant being regarded similarly to Latin and Greek, which are each considered as two subjects.”