Universities Bills Receive Second Reading

Press, Volume C, Issue 29637, 6 October 1961, Page 14

Universities Bills Receive Second Reading

(New Zealand Press Association)

: WELLINGTON, Oct. 5. The. House Of Representatives today completed the second reading debate on a series of bills setting up separate degree-conferring universities and agricultural colleges. . . . The bills were the Universities Bill,' the University pf Auckland Bill, the Victoria University of Wellington Bill, the University of Canterbury Bill, the University of Otago Amendment Bill, the Massey College Bill, and the Lincoln College Bill. The Universities Bill provides for the dissolution of the University of New Zealand and transfers to individual universities and agricultural colleges its degreeconferring powers. Its other powers are vested in the University Grants Committee. The bills’ provisions will come into effect on January 1 next year. Mr N. V. Douglas (Opposition. Auckland Central) criticised the Universities Bill for excluding secondary school representation from the University Grants Committee. “For some reason the universities want to divorce themselves from organisations which help them finance the education they provide,” he said. “I am extremely sorry these people are not able to carry on their work in this way.” A youth attending second-

ary school could not sit a university subject, said Mr Douglas. This was according to a clause in the bills for individual universities relating to admission of students. “The argument is that it is unfair for a youth’s education," he said. “This is somewhat amazing. The only question should be in the youth’s ability to pass the examination.” The education of youths in country areas could be held back because of this, he said. He also criticised the clause which gives a university council power to decline to enrol a student because of “insufficiency of accommodation or of teachers in the university or in a faculty or department of the university." If this clause was not intended to be used to exclude student then why include it in the bill? Tbe only reason for excluding a student was if that student did not have the ability to meet the university’s requirements. “I will tolerate no other rea-

son than that. The shortage of teachers and accommodation is no argument,” said Mr Douglas. Mr H. J. Walker (Government, St. Albans) said members of Parliament on university councils should not use the council for political purposes. One member of Parliament recently used his position as a member of a university council to attack the Government's television policy. “I think the public was shocked and disappointed that such an attitude was taken," said Mr Walker. Mr Walker said he did not think any university council would use the bill to exclude students without a very strong reason. Grants to universities were based on student numbers and it was in the councils’ interest to admit as many students as possible. The Minister of Education (Mr Tennent) said he was surprised at the suggestion that the Government would put a clause in the bill that would prevent a student attending a university through lack of finance. He was sure the new organisation would maintain and improve the university system which had been evolved over the last 90 years.