THE UNIVERSITY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 84, 19 January 1938, Page 3

THE UNIVERSITY

THE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION.

QUESTION of abolition.

(Per Press Association.) DUNEDIN. January 18

The Senate of the University of New Zealand concluded its session this morning.

The Senate adopted , a resolution that to give post-primary schools greater freedom in forming their courses of work, it set up a committee to consider (a) the report of the New Zealand Council of Educational Research on University entrance examinations, and (b) the advisability of abolishing the University entrance examination and substituting for it some other qualification for entrance to the University.

Dr. Robert J. T. Bell, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Otago, said that the Senate had had before it a report from C. M. Gilroy on the accrediting system in Victoria. The conditions of teaeher-trainifig and qualification in Scotland and Victoria were similar, Professor Bell said. After the examination papers bad been corrected inspectors discussed doubtful cases with the headmasters, having before them a record of the candidate over bis whole course.

It was acknowledged, Professor Bell said, that the standard of the entrance examination in New Zealand was not sufficiently high to secure an adequate basis for University work. Both in Scotland and in Victoria, University work began in school subjects at a stage corresponding to that of the pass degree in New Zealand. The University teachers were anxious that those who came to their classes should be at least as well prepared. Secondary school teachers were anxious to be freed from the controlling constraint of the present entrance examination. Reforms Suggested. These objects, declared Professor Bell, might both be attained by modifying the New Zealand system—by relegating the present entrance examination to tile position of a schoolleaving examination and instituting a new entrance examination, to be taken by those only who were proceeding to a University course, by making matriculation conditional oil the possession of a school-leaving certificate and tile passing of certain pre-requisite subjects in 'a - new entrance " examination ; by setting up a secondary schools board comprising representatives ol the schools, the Education Department, and the University of New Zealand which would conduct examinaI tions for the leaving certificate and for entrance; and by introducing a system of accrediting, confining it at first to the school-leaving certificate and lately when a thorough scheme ol training secondary teachers for secondary school work was in operation, by appointing a sufficient secondary school inspectorate, and when experience had been gained, extending it gradually to the entrance examination. Public Utterances. The following resolution was adopted: “That the Senate affirms the right to the full exercise of their functions and privileges as citizens, excepting that there is a special responsibility on them to weigh their public utterances.” During the debate Mr L. Deans Ritchie said that he was at a loss to know why the motion was before the Senate. ”If and when there was a request from the professors to consider the matter, lie would willingly do so, but he saw no reason why it should be brought up at present. The motion reaffirmed their belief in the freedom of speech, but it was unnecessary to reaffirm one’s belief in axioms, lhe Senate had never said that teachers had no freedom of speech, and personally he had a high regard for the good sense, honour, and experience of the professors, and was willing to leave the matter in their hands.