ENTRANCE TO UNIVERSITY

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26203, 29 August 1950, Page 6

ENTRANCE TO UNIVERSITY

ACCREDITING SYSTEM CRITICISED

NEW EXAMINATION METHOD PROPOSED

The report of the special committee of the New Zealand University Senate on accrediting was subjected to some criticism when it was presented to the Senate last week, said the Rector of Canterbury University College (Dr. H. R. Hulme) reporting on the meeting of the Senate tQ the college council yesterday. The report had not been adopted by the Senate, but had been referred to the academic and entrance boards, said Dr. Hulme. A criticism he had made ' of the report was that the committee had based some of its conclusions on the results of a questionary to schools which might have.been differently framed. Instead of the issues, accrediting or examination as the sole means of entry to the university, .the question should have been put, “Do you prefer accrediting or the revised system of examinations, together with a sort of accrediting of borderline cases?” He believed tnat a different answer to the question would have been given if it had been put in that way. Mr S. J. Irwin said he had spoken to three of the visiting vice-chancel-lors on accrediting and found them all opposed to accrediting. “I don’t think we shall have a proper form of entry until we get back to examinations,” said Dr. Hulme. There seemed to be a pretty long “tail” in the list of accredited students each year and the answer might be to “kick people out” if they failed in their first year. At present up to 25 per cent, were failing in all their subjects at stage 1.

“Examination the Only Way” “The only way to tackle that is by examination for entry. Deal with the borderline cases by accrediting—interviewing headmasters and all possible means if necessary.” The examination would then provide a quick means of securing entry for thosd at the top of the school lists, while other pupils would still be eligible for admission if they were accredited. In his opinion there were many contributory causes of the high “casualty rate” in stage 1 examinations, said Professor G. Jobberns. Some of these factors, such as a “dissipation of energy over a lot of things in the intermediate school,” went back quite a long way in the student's schooling. “Some of them never face up to a full-scale examination until they get into stage 1. Don’t just blame accrediting—blame modern education. There is ohe thing many of them still have to learn when they come to us and that is to get down to work.”

Mr W. T. Langley: That is the core oi the whole thing. It was decided that Dr. Hulme should draw up a memorandum on accrediting, which, if approved by the CO m? Cll ’ wou W be sent to the Senate. • The council, when Considering the policy and development committee’s report, approved a recommendation that “any student of the College may be excluded by the council on the grounds of generally unsatisfactory character or of unsatisfactory academic progress.” This resolution, Which Was carried by the professorial board, will be included in the college calendar