UNIVERSITY REFORM.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1792, 3 July 1913, Page 6

UNIVERSITY REFORM.

ROYAL COMMISSION SOUGHT. A petition signed by 28 prominent odn cationists, asking thatVa Royal Ciminis don be'appointed. to inquire into the sul> ject of University reform in New Zealand, • was presented to the House of Representatives yesterday by tho Hon. A, L. Herdman. The petition sots forth that in' 1911 tho Education Committee of the House agreed. that a case had been made out.for roform in the constitution of tho New Zealand University, but affirmed that a Royal Commission was not necessary, as there was tividenco that the University itself was moving in a, direction which would evolve reforms. ' • Subsequently tho Senate of tho New. Zealand University arranged for conferences of representatives of Professorial Boards to bo held.' The first of these conferences was held in 1912, and submitted to the Senate a series of proposals, including a scheme for pass degrees in art* and- science—a problem Hint tho' Senate has been trying to solve for at least fivo 'years. . A/t its annual meeting in 1913 tho Sen. ate not only rejeoted the proposals of the conference, but also rescinded the motion by which an annual conference had been instituted. At tho same time tho Senate agreed that reform of tho constitution was necessary, but could suggest no oneana ■ of bringing ithis about. Tho petition concludes: "Since there, is general agreement as to tho main facts of tho need for reform of tho University, but no hope of agreement among tho bodies involved, as to tho means'of Tcforin, we petition for an inquiry into •University education in New Zealand by. a Royal Commission, on which shall sit at least oiw British educationist of repute, _ who , has had experience of similar inquiries." Similar petitions we.ro presented by Mr, G. M. Thomson (Danedin North), Mr; T, H. Davey (Christchurch East), nnd Mr. A. M. Myers (Auckland East).