UNIVERSITY RESULTS

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29366, 19 November 1960, Page 11

UNIVERSITY RESULTS

Protest At Delay In Publication

The Canterbury Education Board yesterday protested emphatically against the decision of the University of Canterbury/ to delay the announcement of examination results until December 19. when the university proposes to issue a single almost-complete list. The board will request announcement of results as soon as they are available.

University examinations were now, in many cases, integrated with Teachers’ College courses so students of the latter were vitally affected, said Mr R. K. Milne, chairman of the Teachers’ College committee at a board meeting yesterday.

In the first place, university results were required for students’ course records and this applied to 54 second and third-year students and 77 first-year students sitting university examinations this year. These records were required by the Education Department “as soon as possible after the end of the college year’’ for leaving students. The/situation of division C and division U students (post-primary . trainees and those on university studentships) would be aggravated much more seriously. It was not practicable to leave the tabulation of results until the beginning of next year because students should be sorted out in advance. A “principal’s rating’’ was required on all students and university results were a factor in this assessment, Mr Milne said.

Award of special third-year university studentships was contingent on success in examina‘ions. At present 10 had been told they would receive these awards provided they passed this year. If they failed they would be posted as probationary assistants. The third-year awards would then possibly be given to students already posted as probationary assistants. A lot of Last-minute reshuffling could thus occur through the delay in results, said Mr Milne. “Students are unsettled at this time of the year and examinations cause considerable tension,” said Mr Milne. “It is a pity that they are kept in suspense any longer than necessary. But more importantly, by December 19 our students will be scattered from one end of the country to the other. Communicating with them will be difficult tn the pre-Christ-mas rush and there could be chaos.” It was understood that the final examiners’ meeting at the University of Canterbury would be held on December 3 and in previous years results had been published within a few days of that meeting, said Mr Milne. Inquiries elsewhere indicated that Auckland would publish its first university results on November 24: Wellington, as they came to hand; and that Otago would issue first and second-year results on November 25. and the others about December. 7-