University Entrance

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23232, 20 January 1941, Page 8

University Entrance

The apparent difference of opinion which has developed between! the New Zealand University Senate and the Secondary Schools Association upon the plan to introduce accrediting for university entrance does not seem to be wide or deep. The university’s plan provided for the accrediting of candidates from “approved" schools: a provision which, of course, implied that there would be, or might be, schools that would not be approved, so that their candidates would all have to matriculate by examination. It is not clear whether it was intended to exclude classes of schools—for example, schools below a certain roll-number or minimum staffing, district high schools, and unregistered private schools—or to apply the university’s estimate of the; standard of work in individual schools. The -latter alternative, even if the university were to have the full co-operation of the Education Department, could hardly be adopted Without producing undesirable and dangerous professional stresses, The former, though it could be regularised without much difficulty, would be open to perpetual attack, with the object of stretching the limit to let in this or that school or group of schools; and to justify the stretch it would always be possible to plead, with general truth, that small schools may be fully as efficient as large ones, or even more so, and, that the principle of accrediting, if it is sound, should hot be obstructed by arbitrary definitions of an “ approved ’’ school/ The Secondary Schools Association, which stated its objections to the University Senate last week, had a fair case to argue on these lines without dragging in a rather obscure reference to democracy,'which has nothing to do with the question. Secondly, the university had prepared its scheme without reference to the School Leaving Certificate examination, which is- of course, the Education Department’s affair. It was assumed that the certificate would come into steadily wider request and higher respect. So far, it has had only a negligible effect in displacing matriculation. The Secondary Schools Association, however, seems to have proposed that the School Certificate examination, to be taken at the end of the pupil’s third year (or later), should become a general prerequisite for matriculation by accrediting, which would then follow on the completion of one year’s or two years’ further work of a satisfactory standard. Though the association’s reasons have not been made very clear, it is safe to assume that the primary one appears in the objections to the “approved ” school system. If the association’s plan is adopted, all schools will automatically be within the accrediting scheme, all candidates for university entrance by accrediting will have to establish a preliminary claim by passing the School Certificate examination, and full accrediting will be earned by ? approval ” of the work done after that stage. ; If the University can de- - co-operation with the schools—at present a great defect—it is hard to see serious objections to this departure from its own scheme. Certainly, it connects university entrance with working of the school certificate system; but this is much less dangerous than the traditional status of matriculation as the standard school leaving examination. What is most dubious in the prospect is the possibility that/if the require-

merits for accrediting are too narrowly prescribed, the majority of secondary school pupils will take certificate bourses laid out accordingly, whether they really desire to enter the university or not. If this were to happen, the dead hand of matriculation would not be lifted from the schools but would take a new grip. A second reason for the Secondary Schools Association’s new proposal is perhaps to be found in a reaction in favour of examinations, liberalised in scope and advanced in method but preserving virtues which, the frenzy of the attack on the examination system being now spent, are bound to be more fairly esteemed. Certain results of the abandoning of the proficiency examination have assisted such a reaction. On the whole, the Secondary Schools Association should be able to satisfy the university that the changes it suggests would withdraw or weaken no safeguard of the proposed accrediting scheme, while the device to dispense with any objectionable classification of schools, “ in ” or “out” of the accrediting system, has positive advantages, potential at least. They would be lost if the School Certificate examination were abused as the matriculation examination has long been abused; but neither the university nor the teachers, both well aware of this old and mischievous abuse, should be so heedless as to exchange it for a new one.