Student reply on standards

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32676, 4 August 1971, Page 18

Student reply on standards

The National Party conference’s resolution on university-entrance standards has been described as “ostrich-like’ ’ and “elitist” by the education vice-president of the New Zealand University Students’ Association (Mrs M. Logeman).

Last week-end, the conference called on the Government to request the University Grants Committee to reexamine university entrance standards and exclusion policies in the light of known failure and graduation rates.

“If members of the National Party had taken the time to inquire about university action on entrance and exclusion policies they would have found that both the University Grants Committee and the universities have been studying these in depth during recent years,” Mrs Logeman said in a statement. “BAD PRACTICE” “The University Grants Committee chairman (Sir Alan Danks), spelled out in May, 1969, that restriction on entry to university would be bad educational practice and would be unlikely to reduce expenditure on education. “In his graduation address at the University of Otago in 1969, Sir Alan Danks made it quite clear that stricter university entrance requirements would lead to a tougher academic approach by secondary schools and would endanger the flexibility which was such a desirable and distinctive element of New Zealand's university and pre-university institutions," she added.

In May,' 1969, the universities had concluded that stricter entrance standards would result in the exclusion of many potential graduates

without effecting substantial economies, Mrs Logeman said.

More recently, the Universities Entrance Board had j been studying the university entrance procedures with a view to their improvement, she said. EXCLUSION POLICIES Mrs.. Logeman said that the university exclusion policies also had been under constant and fairly public review. “It is doubtful that any educational justification could be found for enforcing stricter standards of attainment on students wishing to remain at university. “If, in fact, the National Party conference felt that academic standards were not being maintained by the universities, they should simply have said so. “Instead, the conference called for a re-examination of exclusion policies without producing any evidence that the quality of graduating students ought to be higher,” Mrs Logeman said.