BY ACCREDITING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 11, 13 January 1940, Page 6

BY ACCREDITING.

'VARSITY ENTRANCE. SENATE GIVES APPROVAL. FOOT. YEARS' SCHOOL COtmSE (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON",- Friday. . Recommendations that entraucc to the University of New Zealand should bo by a. system of accrediting instead of only by examination were laid before tho Senate of Uie University in Wellington to-day. After a discission occupying the greater part of the day a scheme was adopted to bo laid before the Minister of Education and other authorities concerned. The recommendations were made by the entrance committco after it had considered previous resolutions of the senate and the reports of the professorial boards and the entrance and academic boards. The scheme outlined was that university entrance should be based on accrediting by schools on a list drawn up by the university in consultation with the Education Department. Only schools of undoubted suitability should be be included in the list in the first instance. The system would bo reviewed after experience of its working. Should not be Hurried. Sir Thomas Hunter, vice-chancellor, emphasised that the proposal was only experimental and should not bo hurried unduly in the early stages. An entrance examination Would still lie held for those who had not been accredited. The examination would Hie restricted to those iattaining the age of 10 by December 31 of the year in which the examination took place. It should be of a scope and standard appropriate to the several university courses. At least four years of satisfactory post-primary education should be demanded before a candidate 'was accredited for entrance to the university. Accrediting should be based 011 a suitable cumulative school record card. It Was recommended also that further provision for spebliftllsed training for post-primary teachers be made inlinediately by the establishment of a training department in one or more of the university colleges. The Government Was to be requested to provide grants to students to enable those who proposed to proceed to post-primary teaching to undertake academic study at university colleges for three years as full-time students and for one year in the training department for secondary teachers. Co-operation With Teachers. To promote the closest co-operation between the university and schools approved there should be specialists of senior rank, university teachers or others, to co-operate with teachers in schools ill.an honorary capacity, and ax least one liaison oflicer appointed by each university college, who should be given such status and functions in the college as all associate professor of education and in schools us an inspector as would enable h'llll to report and advise 011 accrediting as it affected both the university and the schools. The senate was to confer with the professional bodies concerned with a view to accepting this entrance system 111 lieu of the present special entrance requirements. The scheme was referred to the execu live committee with power to act. Sir Thomas' Hunter said it would be necessary to confer with the Government and the' scheme coiild tliiiii be embodied in a statute of tlie senate when it met next year.