TOO MANY ASPIRANTS

Evening Star, Issue 23094, 21 October 1938, Page 13

TOO MANY ASPIRANTS

VARSITY ENTRANCE EXAM. ABSURD TOTAL FROM B.K.S. The largo number of boys from the Otago Boys’ High School who had signified their intention of sitting for the University entrance examination this year gave rse to a short discussion at the monthly meeting of the Otago High Schools’ Board of Governors yesterday. Tho subject was introduced by Mr F. H. Campbell, who drew the attention of tho meeting to tho following paragraph contained in the rector’s report: —“ The absurd total of 90 candidates have entered for the University entrance examination. Of those, 38 are in their third year, whereas tho examination is supposed to be designed for a four years’ course. On tho average of passes per roll number for the last 25 years more than half of these 90 candidates are destined to fail. Tho anxiety of parents to get their boys into employment before their chances are adversely affected by their ago seems to have accentuated this absurdity this year.” “ You-cannot prevent boys from entering if their parents desire it,” Mr Campbell said. “ Supposing that 40 of the entrants fail, can the rector and his staff agree that they should not have gone up?” You can discourage boys from sitting, but you cannot stop them. If the members of tho staff say the boys are not qualified, why should they be* allowed to lower the percentage of passes from tho school? The chairman (Mr W. R. Brngh) said that if two showing the passes of pupils in previous examinations and the recommendations by the rector were kept, it would show tho futility of sending certain boys forward to sit the examination. If all schools were to do that it would be of benefit. Mr J. C. H. Somerville; Would other schools do it? After a brief general discussion a motion to the effect that the principals of the three schools under tho control of the board be asked to keep separate records of results for examination purposes, in respect of those pupils who entered for the University entrance examination with the approval of their principal, and those who. entered without, was carried.