POLICY OF N.Z. UNIVERSITY

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26538, 28 September 1951, Page 7

POLICY OF N.Z. UNIVERSITY

MR BEEBY’S VIEW OF FUTURE

“IMPORTANT BEARING” ON EDUCATION (New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON. September 27. The future policy of the University of New Zealand had an important bearing on the national education, the Director oi Education (Mr C. E. Beeby) told the annual conference of the New Zealand Technical Education Association to-day. He said the future of the university would affect the supply of teachers. The university had to help to improve this supply, but this was perhaps of less importance than the second problem: how far the university was going into the no-man’s-land between the university and the technical school.

Mr Beeby described the University of New Zealand as lying between two extremes—the Continental university, where the elite were taught by the elite, and the American university, where provision was made for a much wider range of talent. The New Zealand University approached the American ideal in number of studenta, and the Continental in internal structure. “Where are we going from there?" asked Mr Beeby. “I think the university is now aware of this situation, and will make up its mind whether it will move toward the European or the American model. . . . "We have to get teachers for our secondary and primary schools and if the university did not want to train them it would have to be done by colleges and technical colleges If the university moved toward the American ideal, increased its number of students and differentiated its courses, would it clash with the work of the technical schools?”

Mr Beebv said that, even if the university did extend a little downward, he did not think its work would need to clash with the work of the technical school