Students’ pass-rate cause for concern

Press, 13 February 1982, Page 11

Students’ pass-rate cause for concern

The pass rates for Christchurch Teachers’ College primary division students doing university study give little cause for complacency or satisfaction, according to a college council member. Mr E. L. Upton. He was commenting at a council meeting when, the figures for university study in 1981 were presented in the principal's report. Mr Upton said it would be useful to compare the results of the Teachers’ College students with average pass rates. This was not possible because the Teachers' College figures did not include those who dropped out of courses as failures. The Teachers’ College students might have problems adapting to working for two masters. Mr Upton suggested, or else they, might need to “study the nature of scholarship.” ' The college principal, Dr J. F. Mann, said that the drop-outs did pose a problem to the college. Because their university study was a part of the college course and not an addition, dropping out of university meant changes had to ' be made to the student’s college programme. First-year primary division students had a pass rate of 65 per cent for those who sat the examinations. This compared with 63 per cent in 1980. Second-year students fared

slightly better, having a pass rate for those who. sat. the examination of 72 per cent, compared with 91 per cent in 1980. Third-year students had a pass rate of 94 per cent, compared.with 96 per cent in 1980. Of 10 kindergarten students who sat university examinations, nine were successful. Appointments Eleven new appointments to the college staff were announced at the council meeting. Dr Mann hastened to say that only one of these was a permanent appointment and that all 11 were "made before the axe fell.”

Conference report

Dr Mann reported on his attendance at the Australian Principals of Teachers’ Colleges conference in Sydney last month.

He said that the Australian colleges seemed to be having the same problems as those in New Zealand. There had been more than 70 colleges for teacher-education, but now there were fewer than 40.

Four Adelaide colleges had been amalgamated and now worked with one principal and individual campus supervisors.

The 1983 conference will be held in Christchurch.