TO ACCREDIT OR NOT

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 110, 12 May 1939, Page 16

TO ACCREDIT OR NOT

THAT IS THE QUESTION

No doubt had Hamlet been a secondary schoolmaster in New Zealand in the year of grace, 1939, instead a Prince of Denmark in past ages, his famous soliloquy would have taken the form of "To accredit, or not to accredit; that is the question." This question of accrediting in lieu of the University entrance examination has been very much to the fore during this week's educational conferences and has been the major subject for dis--cussion. As a text, so to speak, there has'been the report of the Educational lißesearch Council's survey, which recommended full accrediting from secondary schools to the university. After a long discussion yesterday the New Zealand Secondary Schools' Association endorsed a proposal that entrance to the university should be given to pupils who have, first, passed the school certificate examination to Jae conducted by the Education Department with machinery modified to allow the use of school records in doubtful cases and in cases of illness; and, secondly, have completed at least one year's post-certificate work to the satisfaction ot the Department.

The conference approved the recommendation previously made by the Principals' Association. This favoured the retention of the school certificate examination as a method of entrance to the university in preference to the method recommended in the report, holding that it would be a less cumbersome method and one which would not perpetuate the university domination of the curriculum.

Teachers in secondary schools have therefore expressed themselves as in favour of abolishing the University entrance examination and of accrediting, but not to the full extent advovocated in the Research Council's re•port.