MATRICULATION

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 75, 21 December 1929, Page 13

MATRICULATION

Sir,—During the past week hundreds of children throughout the country have been sitting for the matriculation examination of the New Zealand University and I should like to be permitted a word in season. It must be apparent to everyone that this examination, as it is at present, is anything but beneficial to the majority of the country’s youth, and, moreover, is carried on at a large and increasing expense owing to the growing number of candidates each year. The matriculation examination was originally intended to be what its name implies, i.e., a University entrance examination to ensure students being sufficiently advanced to commence studying for University courses, but from this its original purpose it has come to be a certificate of secondary school education, sought by many of the candidates, in fact, probably a majority, who have no intention of proceeding on a University course Apart from the expense of examining the large number of candidates sitting in recent years, the system has other prejudicial effects. Matriculation as an examination is rated too highly in the public mind. Ability to pass it is by no means necessarily indicative of general ability, and in the business world where sound common sense is the sine qua non of success one questions whether matriculation should be considered, as it often is when there are several applicants for a commercial position. I desire to make the following suggestion which, if carried into effect, would reduce the /very large expenditure of money at present necessary to examine the large number of candidates and which would do away with the common but fallacious idea that to fail in matriculation necessarily shows lack of any real ability. Under the existing state of things the examiners cannot be expected to give each paper, more than a cursory glance, and that is obviously unfair to the genuine prospective University student. Restore to the matriculation examination its original purpose—solely University entrance. ’ This might be accomplished bv withholding advice nf the results until application is received for enrolment with the University for arts or professional examinations, together with a fee of. say, £2/2/-. If the candidate does intend taking such examinations such a fee would not occasion any hardship even if the candidate did not commence his University course at once. This would immediately result in prospective University students only sitting for matriculation. Then authorise the headmasters of secondary schools to give certificates of secondary school education on the results of their school examinations. ; There does not seem to be any great disadvantage in such a system, but I hope that those of your readers who can criticise will do so, for, obviously, something should be done to remedy the evils of the present state of things. In conclusion I should like to say that this letter is in no way prejudiced—l write as one who himself matriculated. — I am, etc., PRO BONO PUBLICO. Hastings, December 14.