ENGLISH TEACHING

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 82, 4 October 1944, Page 4

ENGLISH TEACHING

PROFESSOR'S COPHENTS"

DISCUSSION IN HOUSE

Something must b£"' lacking somewhere, said Mri" A. J. Murdoch (National, Marsden) in the House of Representatives yesterday, when, during consideration of the Estimates of the,, Education Department, he referred' to the strong comments made recently by Professor J. Rutherford, Professor of History at Auckland University College, concerning the standard of English shown by certain first-year students. Mr. Murdoch said that Professor Rutherford had found instances of sheer illiteracy. English was missing and the grammar was shocking, there being a lack of ability to put thoughts into words. "I say," continued Mr. Murdoch, *"that we want to watch that we get the foundations laid for our education system and that we do • not go in too much for the frills. Only a certain time is allowed in the curriculum, and that time should be taken up in laying down a foundation in the solids—arithmetic and English exercises. If we do not do that, thea I venture to say that our system will fail dismally." Mr. Clyde Carr (Government, Timaru) suggested that Professor Rutherford was. having a "bang" at accrediting. Mr. Murdoch: He was having a "bang" at faulty education—lack of system. - . . ' The Minister of Education (Mr. Mason) said that'a point to be remem-. bered was that accrediting was not yet actually in effect. Professor Rutherford had reported upon students whohad not been accredited but who had entered the university Under the existing system. Owing to confusion of thought, those who were opposed to accrediting had used Professor Rutherford's comments as an argument in favour of the matriculation examination, but if there was an argument at all it was certainly an argument against the existing system. HISTORY STUDENTS. As for what Professor Rutherford ; had said, continued Mr. Mason, anyone who had attended a university ; college knew that history was look- ■ ed upon as a very easy subject, generally speaking. While history also interested many good students, it was a subject which he, supposed was also bound to attract those who were not so good, and consequently it might not be surprising to find that, many of the less ambitious students found their ; way into the history classes. The comI plaint that students could not express - themselves in good English was a very - old one. It had been made in years ; gone by, and no doubt it was as justi- ; t fied then as it was today. Mr. W. S. Goosman (National, Waikato): It was more justified then. :- - Mr. Mason said there would always r be pupils who were poor oh the r " average and very poor, apd, after all, t to express oneself in good English w£s j not given to everyone, although one j- would not like to see all so; poor as j those -who had been condemned in Professor Rutherford's comments. .