University Teachers Discuss Examinations

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29239, 24 June 1960, Page 15

University Teachers Discuss Examinations

A stage O as a prerequisite to taking stage I subjects at university was suggested at a meeting of the Canterbury branch of the Association of University Teachers.

Mr E. R. Hounsell, the new liaison officer at the University of Canterbury, first suggested it. He was the third in a panel of four speakers addressing the meeting on the subject of “Entrance to the University.” Earlier speakers were Professor S. R. Siemon, of the School of Engineering and a member of the University Entrance Board and Mr G. S. Troup, formerly liaison officer and now senior lecturer in French. Mr T. H. McCombs, headmaster of Cashmere High School, spoke after Mr Hounsell. Mr Hounsell had said that he did not consider accrediting any longer a live issue. Attempts had been made for the last 16 years to change the system and he believed that it would not change in his lifetime.

A number of school pupils who did not sit the University Scholarship examination had no outside examination from the time they sat School Certificate to when they sat stage 1 papers. He suggested that the number of subjects required for University Scholarship should be lessened. (It stands at five.) This would enable sixth form pupils all to sit examinations.

For university students who were not adequately prepared in various subjects he said that a stage O should be instituted. Professor J. C. Garrett supported the idea. He said that in the University Entrance examination 35 per cent, was all that was needed to pass in English. “And that amounts practically to illiteracy,” he said. Mr A. Runciman said: “If the country wants the lower grade student, then) we will teach them if they pay ms. But while salaries are low thtei we ought to say who is taught, what is taught, and who is teaching them.” Professor Siemon said that the introduction of a stage O could mean a lowering of the entrance standard and that the standards in secondary schools might be forced down. “Inferior Students”

“Having a stage O is an admission that too many inferior students are getting in,” said Dr. A. W. Ross.

“We should screen them and throw them out,” said Professor Garrett.

“I am more or less in favour of the stage O,” said Dr. J. G. Pocock. “I do not know who would teach them. Perhaps we have found a use for the branch universities at last.” he said. Dr Pocock said that one had to know what it meant to succeed at university. Many students eventually collected a degree over a period of years with their marks alternating between 49 and 51 per cent. “We want to give the country something better than it wants,” he said. “When you mark an

examination paper you do so on the basis, ‘Has this candidate grasped the beginnings of the subject and done something on his own initiative’.” “I am not convinced that having a number of students fail is too bad a thing,” said Professor G. A. Knox. “The people who do that and have to leave university are possibly all the better for the contact that they have had with the place.” Entrance Examination

An attack on the University Entrance examination was made earlier by Mr Troup. Pupils at secondary schools who were not accredited were allowed to sit the entrance examination and from his experience as a liaison officer he quoted examples of pupils sitting the examination passing with a 50 per cent, mark and going to university, for which they were unprepared. Mr Troup criticised the accuracy and methods of dealing with figures in the report of Mr G. W. Parkyn for the New Zealand Council for Educational Research. Mr McCoombs said that accrediting could be more accurately done. He said he knew of pupils who when they had applied for a recount in an outside examination had got up to 30 per cent, more when someone else marked the paper. Mr McCombs also talked of the difficulties of establishing at the age of 12 or 13 whether a pupil would ultimately go to university. He said that he was not sure that the university should have the power to decide whether someone should be able to attend it or not.

“The university is in the life of the community,” he said. “It is in New Zealand’s interest to have graduates and I doubt if the temper of the country would allow an arbitrary reduction of graduates in order to get a higher number of passes.” he said. Mr F. M. Henderson presided.