NEW COMPUTER ACQUIRED

Press, Volume C, Issue 29535, 9 June 1961, Page 20

NEW COMPUTER ACQUIRED

Education Dept. Problems The Education Department tias signed an agreement to rent the largest and most up-to-date computer so far planned for New Zealand. It will replace a smaller one end cope with the department’s two biggest problems -the preparation of teachers’ fortnightly pay sheets and tihe processing of thousands of returns for the School Certificate examinations. The Education Department's payroll now numbers 23.000 and this total is expected to rise to 30.000 within seven years. Each fortnight 2000 to 2500 changes or temporary variations in ‘salary components" occur in the profession. The new machine can deal with them accurately at amazing speed For the School Certificate examinations, the machine is required to check the validity of application forms to see that candidates have met all requirements: prepare subject cards; prepare entry and attendance lists; allocate examiners and candidates to examination centres; compute pass grades: prepare result notifications for candidates and lists for publication; make result analyses. It is estimated that 25.000 candidates will sit the examinat.on this year—an increase of 10 per cent..