MATRICULATION AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 253, 26 October 1933, Page 22

MATRICULATION AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

It is remarkable that anyone should now question the assertion that the matriculation examination interferes with the "expression and development" I of our' secondary schools, in view of the • published opinions of those who, it must be granted, are in a position to know. The conclusion of the Secondary Teachers' Association report on this subject reads: "The matriculation examination dominates unduly our whole educational system. It restricts the syllabus of our schools, it encourages cram, it fosters the belief that the standard of a school is judged by its examination successes." Mr. Frank Tate, C.M.G., 1.5.0., M.A., ex-Director of Education, Victoria, was appointed a commission to report on certain aspects of education in New Zealand. Inter alia, he was asked to report on the question, "Does the matriculation examination unduly dominate the secondary teaching in this country?" The inclusion of the question indicated that the education authorities were concerned as to the effects of the matriculation examination on the "expression and development" of secondary schools. His reply was as follows: "It seems certain that, the dominating influence of the matriculation examination must be removed before satisfactory courses of secondary education bearing more directly upon the life interests of the pupils can be successfully introduced into New Zealand." Later in his report he says, "Why not, then, reform the examination?" The views of Mr. F. Milner, headmaster of the Waitaki Boys' High School, may also be quoted: "It ha 3 always been my opinion that our secondary schools are too academic, too traditionally formal, to provide the full range of mental interests needed to retain their pupils. Without in any way commercialising our educational ideals I should strongly advocate the compulsory provision in our secondary schools of a range of courses and elections that would make adequate provision for satisfying the interests and aptitudes of entrants. We assume an undue antagonism between practical efliciency ,and idealism in our education. Our system should provide a harmonious combination of the cultural and the practical and economic in one organic whole. False social prestige attaches to the academic side of education." As to the practice in other countries to which I made reference, I now find Mr. Tate says: "There would be far less objection to the matriculation examination if it were more than a mere proof of ability to satisfy examiners that an amount of knowledge upon certain subjects had been acquired. The example of the Scottish leaving certificate, issued by the Scottish Education Department and recognised as an entrance qualification by the Scottish and other universities and examining bodies, is instructive.- The essential fact in the Scottish scheme is that there must be a necessary and very intimate connection between the examination and the curriculum and organisation of the schools. The authorities must be satisfied with the courses completed as well as with the knowledge shown in the examination.", I have just received an English newspaper (August 26, 1933) givinw the results of the school certificate examination of the Joint Matriculation Board of the Universities of Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, and Birmingham. In the list of successful candidates an "m" against a name indicates that the pupil has been awarded a matriculation certificate. There is every prospect that next year a school certificate examination will be introduced, which should assist in freeing our schools from the domination of the University Entrance examination. Still greater benefits will follow if a specified standard of pass in a school certificate examination be accepted as a University entrance qualification, - GRADUATE,