MATRICULATION

Grey River Argus, 30 June 1925, Page 8

MATRICULATION

IH) SOME UNNECESSARILY i:nti:r : ’ Nor “SCHOOL-LEAVING” ' EXAMINATIONS. WELLINGTON, June -’9 Il is frequently urged,” said Prolessor Rankine Brown in his evidence 1° 1 1n* Varsity Commission yesterday, ‘‘that the existence ynd nature of the I niaersity Mat li'idat ion examinations seriously interferes with (he f,caching and organisation ol the sei-ondary .•chools. Any eternal examination is tin interference with 'ideal teaching. Many teachers consider that the regu Nations and exaniinsitlons of the Education Department hamper their cfT’orts. On the other Jiand, examinations cannot be with. So far as the malricuhition examination of Ihe University is (jonccrned, it is the schools and public?' who are, in the main, t.o blame for ?iiiy detrimental 'effect it may have exorcised on educa- . lion. 'Phe University is quite within its rights in setting entrance examination as a preliminary to entering upon a degree course, sM'd 1 do not think that any fault y. can be found with either the subjects or the standard of the examinatioiji But. for several reasons this examination has come to be. regarded as a

examination, with the result. that a ivory large number of pupils are pre'pared for it, and sit for it, vho have ’not tfie least intention*., of .bilowing out a University voursK*.' 11 may thus well be that a large number of young people are being educated along lines for which they arc not. suited, and are being mentally stunned in consequence, but the cannot be blamed for this. This iif)-roper use of the examiation is the real reason why last year the number c,f candidates reached the. very large iijgiire of 4.435, and it helps to explain why only “<1.3 gained a full pass. of entrants for the accountants preliminary examinations brings the total (.number of cadidatcs -who sit for the December examinations up t<> little short, of 5000. 1 doubt whether there is any other University which has to dral with so bloated an examination in SO short a period of time as six weeks, and the prompt issue of the results 'rellects credit on the organisation.