ACADEMIC TALENT

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30121, 3 May 1963, Page 11

ACADEMIC TALENT

Snow Attacks Universities

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright)

LONDON, May 2

The obsession with grammar school students in Britain to gain a place at either Oxford or Cambridge Universities was creating many bad consequences, the rector of St. Andrew's University, Scotland. Sir Charles Snow, said in a lecture at Downing College, Cambridge, last night.

Reporting this today “The Times” said Sir Charles Snow was critical of many phases of the education system: but he aimed his hardest blows at the universities. He said the dominance by the two universities over English higher education had grown greater.

Many rich parents, finding their children could not gain places at either Oxford or Cambridge, decided not to send them anywhere else. Sir Charles Snow said. The concentration on tlie two universities was giving them too big a share of competitive academic talent Others were getting too little. Universities lived most strongly when they contained all sorts of temperament and talent. By necessity Cambridge and Oxford were being forced to select more and more from a narrow set of academic skill, which was not a good thing, the newspaper quoted Sir Charles Snow as saying.