'Few rejected over Latos tests’

Press, 16 April 1980, Page 27

'Few rejected over Latos tests’

PA Palmerston North Only three of the 18 Western Samoan students who applied to enrol at New Zealand universities were refused admission because they failed the Latos test, says the secretary of the University Examination Board (Mr M. Murtagh). Mr Murtagh was asked to comment on the campaign of the Western Samoan Prime Minister (Tupuloa Eh) to get the controversial Latos test dropped. At Massey University, several language lecturers aggree that the test should be dropped. They want to see it replaced with local tests administered at individual universities and backed up by overseas education units to help overseas students who have language or cultural difficulties in New Zealand.

Mr Murtagh said he was concerned that recent reports had said 13 of the 18 Western Samoan applicants had been refused admission on the basis of the test.

Of the 18 who applied, eight had been offered places, seven had been rejected on academic grounds, and three because of their failure in the Latos test.

Mr Murtagh said the board believed the Latos test was essential if the right decisions were to be made on student admissions. Overseas students were expected to achieve higher marks at university than the 60 per cent pass and 40 per cent fail rate of New Zealanders.

“This practice is no different from anywhere

else,” he said. “New Zealanders wanting to enrol at overseas universities also require additional qualifications. “We want overseas students to succeed, so naturally we have a different admission policy.” Asked to comment on the statement by Tupuola Efi that the New Zealand Government had agreed to tell the University Entrance Board it thinks it would be better to drop the Latos test, Mr Murtagh said the board was an independent statutory body. The' Education Minister had the right to ask the board to consider any matter any time. The board’s next meeting will be held at the end of May. At Massey, the head of the second language-teach-ing unit (Dr N. Watts) said overseas students’

language ability had to be assessed with regard to the faculty in which they would study. He said one way of coping with this would be for each university to establish its own overseas-stu-dent education unit where the students’ language, ability would be assessed with regard to the study to be undertaken, and individual courses of instruction could be provided. Massey was already geared to do this with its course in English for overseas students which students could attend either voluntarily or if referred there by staff. Dr Watts said it would be wise, politically and socially, for New Zealand to open its doors more widely to overseas students. It would also be wise in view of the need to export