NEW DEPARTURES;

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 146, 17 December 1937, Page 7

NEW DEPARTURES;

SCHOOL EXAMINATIONS* .'

New departures in both primary and secondary education systems as a r«r Wt of the abolition of the proficiency (examination were indicated by Mr. J. <R. Sutcliffe, principal of Scots College, in liis annual report at the college break-up ceremony last evening. "The abolition of the proficiency examination from the work of primary schools has led.to: a new departure an our primary department—the complete removal "of examinations and consequent alteration in the style of our report forms," said Mr. Sutcliffe. "This Bias not been done merely in response jto the popular: cry. for: the abolition fof examinations. While entrance to (the university:and the gaining of fechool certificates is by examination, Secondary pupils must be given that (practice in writing examination answers and budgeting their time which (these examinations demand. "Our chief reason- is to be able to ideyote more time' to progressive cultural work. The examinations take lip a week of each term. A further fweek is required for discussing the ipapers—useful certainly in a revisionfery .sense but not progressive as far fes teaching goes. The final week then becomes a difficult one.,for teachers bnd taught, both facing that feeling tof finality which the end of the exam-; ination period induces. This ' appens .three times, a year, so that by abolishing examinations in the primary department, six and probably nina weeks out of the school year of forty weeks can now be devoted to further progressive teaching, and incidentally, any examination strain is thereby removed from the younger boys."