“Universities Will Not Cope With Flood Of Students”

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28701, 26 September 1958, Page 8

“Universities Will Not Cope With Flood Of Students”

(New .Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, September 25. In the next two or three years New Zealand’s universities are not going to be able to take all those wishing to study, according to Mr E W. Mills, an executive member of the Technical Education Association. Science faculties would soon not be able to cope with the flood, and it was to be hoped the technical colleges equid make up the leeway, he said. Mr Mills was addressing the Technical Education Conference today on whether the association should resist efforts to make any subject other than English compulsory for the University Entrance examination.

The ■ director of Wellington Technical College (Mr A. D. Priestley) urged that the number of compulsory subjects remain the same. He was also against any increase in the total number of subjects to be taken for the examination.

The conference was told that the Vice-Chancellor of the University of New Zealand (Dr. A. G'Currie) had suggested that as well as English being compulsory, so should either mathematics or a foreign language. Dr. Currie was also in favour of the minimum number of subjects being five instead of four.

Mr Priestley said Dr. Currie’s objects were apparently to exclude some from attendance at the university. This Was a retrograde step and likely to affect technical training, he said. Mr Priestley said the influence of the university would reach right down through the colleges, into even the third forms.

Any agreement on this subject would commit the association to the view that anyone in New Zealand who passed the University Entrance examination would find a place available for him, said Mr Mills.

“It’s soon going to be impossible for everyone wanting to go to university to go,’’ he said. “In the next three or four years the science parts of our universities are not going to be able to

cope. There must be limitation in some way. I hope that the technical colleges will take up the leeway.” He described Dr. Currie’s utterances as “kite-flying,” and suggested that the association get a more reasoned view of the question.

Mr G. Hill, of Umaru Technical College, said Dr. Currie’s proposals would be detrimental to the promising pupils in schools. The conference decided it was against any alteration to the present system, and set up a committee to investigate and advise the executive. It was suggested that the matter be determined before the University Senate meets next August.

The committee is to comprise Messrs Priestley, Mills, ’G- A Thompson, of Hawera Technical College, and A. W. White, of Stratford Technical College.