'VARSITY BURSARIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 219, 15 September 1932, Page 8

'VARSITY BURSARIES.

COMPETITIVE SYSTEM.

AWARDS IN ORDER OF MERIT.

EFFECTS OF THE CHANGE.

Unh'ersity .bursaries which have-in the past been awarded to applicants who qualified for the higher leaving certificate or passed with credit in the en'tranco scholarship examination will in future be replaced by university national bursaries, which arc to be awarded to candidates selected in order of merit according to results of the university entrance scholarship examination, for which everyone desiring a bursary must sit. This change lias been made by Order-in-Council. (Having qualified, a candidate must then apply on a prescribed form to the Director of Education for a bursary, and the application must be made not later •than February 1, following the date of qualification. Any person who, during 1930-31, qualified for but was not awarded a university bursary, may now apply for a national bursary upon sitting for the entrance scholarship examination this year. A national bursary is tenable for three years and the Director may grant an extension for one more year. The granting of an extension of a university bursary was formerly in the hands of the Chancellor, and in the case of medical students, the total tenure might extend to five years. The power of postponing a bursary or of suspending it during its tenure is "transferred from the Chancellor to the Director. Maximum of £20. The maximum amount to be paid towards tuition fees under the new scheme is to be £20. No national bursary can bo held concurrently with another bursary or scholarship, "which, in the opinion of the Director, is reasonably sufficient to provide in whole or in part for the payment of university tuition fees." Formerly, a, university bur.sa.ry could be held concurrently with another bursary or scholarship if the total.value did not exceed £100 per annum. The extension Of a university bursary to a fourth year ha* in the past been a matter of course, but the extension of a national bursary is now to be granted only in special cases. Effect on College Finances. Inquiries made in Auckland show that the effect of the new competiive system of granting bursaries to students entering university colleges will be to reduce greatly the number of students holding bursaries. At the present time there are between 250 and 300 bursaryholders every year at the Auckland University College. A serious reduction in that number will have an adverse effect on the college finances, which have already been severely affected by recent economies.

i It is admitted that under the sys'tem that has been displaced there were abuses. A bursary was given on a leaving certificate, and all that was required was a statement that the work of the holder one year after matriculation was satisfactory. Such holders could apply "for a bursary", and it was granted automatically. - In some .cages sufficient trouble - was, not taken to see that the standard of work after passing matriculation was maintained. There was really no check, and some men'sent to the university were afterwards found to be unsuited for taking, the . fullest advantage of .the bursary. At the same time, it is considered that in the new regulations the Department has gone too far in the other direction, and the test has now been made exceedingly severe. Candidates wishing to sit for the entrance scholarship examination take two years after matriculation, so that the candidates for the bursaries will now have to reach a high standard — much higher than the present one. Unless a man is exceptionally good'he will not be able to qualify. More Centralisation. The subjects in the scholarship list are Latin,, English, French, mathematics, history, geography, chemistry, magnetism and electricity, heat, botany, home science, agriculture, additional mathematics, and mechanics. The regulations make an elastic provision allowing for different subjects to be taken. A feature of the new system that is objected to' on principle is the centralising of all control in Wellington. Educationists see in it only .one more instance of the determination to centralise all authority in Wellington, and they contend that it is not an improvement.