CHANGE PROPOSED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 February 1939, Page 5

CHANGE PROPOSED

CONDITIONS OF ENTRANCE TO UNIVERSITY ACCREDITING IN PLACE OF MATRICULATION. APPROVED IN PRINCIPLE BY SENATE. (By Telegraph-Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH. February 6. An important change in education policy was approved today by the Senate of the University of New Zealand, when it affirmed the principle that entrance to the university should in general be by way of accrediting instead of by the university entrance examination now held. This decision followed the submission of a report by the committee on entrance, which, having considered a summary of a report by the Council for that entrance to the university should, in general, be by way of accrediting by any school on a list of approved schools drawn up by the university in ‘consultation with the University of New Zealand.

The committee also suggested that a properly-devised cumulative school re cord card should form the basis of accrediting. The committee recommended that the Education Department should increase its staff of secondary school inspectors, that further provision for specialised training of post-primary teachers should immediately be made and that a liaison officer should be appointed by each constituent college and should be given such status and functions in the college and in the schools as would enable him to report and advise in accrediting as it affected both the university and the schools, The Senate agreed on the committee’s suggestion that at least three years of satisfactory post-primary study should be demanded before a school certificate was granted by accrediting, and that, for pupils who wished afterward to be accredited for matriculation, a further year of shool work should be required.

The final recommendation in the report was that the present examination should still be held for those who did not qualify for entrance by accrediting and who were over 16 years of age on December 1 of the year of examination. This scheme, the report explained, was to apply only to general entrance and was not to affect the professional courses, for which special entrance examinations were provided. These examinations would be continued as at present. Senate approved the principle of the scheme outlined by the committee, and decided to submit it to the Academic Board, the Entrance Board and the professorial boards of colleges for a report to the next meeting of the Senate.

Professor T. A. Hunter’s suggestion that the executive committee should discuss the final considerations of the scheme with the Minister of Education was also approved.

MR WILD’S ADVOCACY.

EXTENSION TO ALL SCHOOLS

(Bv Telegranh—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, February 6.

During discussion of the committee’s recommendations on university entrance at the meeting of the Senate, Mr L. J. Wild suggested that all schools should have the right of accrediting. Schools had consistently advocated the right of accrediting for a considerable period of years. He hoped that the teaching profession would be reasonably assured that from the beginning of 1940 “this enlightened procedure” would be adopted.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Hunter. said it would not be possible to draft and approve a statute embodying the scheme til] next year. The financial implications of the proposed scheme were referred to by Colonel G. J. Smith, who said the finances of the university would be seriously affected. He suggested that a fee of £2 2s should be charged for matriculating.

“I do not think that will meet the situation at all,” commented Professor Hunter. “Many people are taking the examination who do not matriculate.” He suggested that the executive committee should be authorised to discuss with the Minister of Education the financial considerations that would be involved if such a scheme were put into effect.

The Chancellor, the Hon J. A. Hanan: “It take it that this scheme would not be put into effect unless our funds are restored in some way.”