University Examinations

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 58, 1 December 1934, Page 9

University Examinations

Sir, —It is the practice of the University of New Zealand to conduct examinations for certain outside bodies. This, no doubt, suits the university from a financial point of view, as it receives payment for the use of its machinery, but it creates a misleading position. To the uninformed public the line of division between an examination conducted by the university and a university examination is not well defined, and this is not just to the students and graduates of the university itself. The practice followed is for the university to appoint as examiners people who are prominent in the body concerned in which matter it must necessarily be advised by the body itself. All the university does therefore is to give a guarantee that the examination is conducted in a satisfactory manner—there is no guarantee as to the standard of the examination, and there is nothing done by the university which the bodies concerned could not do for themselves.

These institutions, without doubt, seek association with the university, as it gives their degrees a certain sanctity, but one of them, which incidentally is party to a salary arangement giving recognition to its degree, has this year awarded degrees on theses not examined by uni-versity-appointed examiners. AA’hile such an obvious back door to a degree is available, the university control is a farce. If the university to be party to the examinations for a degree, it, should exercise control over all,examinations for that degree or none at all. I do not seek to imply that the bodies concerned are not seeking .to maintain a satisfactorily high examination standard, but to draw attention to an obvious loophole and matters of principle. Let the degree of the bodies concerned be judged on t-heir own merits and in fairness to the graduates of the universitv. not by the merits of the university. Could not the institutions concerned create an independent ad hoc examination board? —I am, etc.,

GRADUATE. AA’ellington, November 29.