THE UNIVERSITY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 12 September 1925, Page 10

THE UNIVERSITY.

DRASTIC CHANGES URGED. CONSTITUTION AND CURRICULUM REPORT OF THE COMMISSION. The report of the Royal Commission on University Education has been presented to Parliament by the Minister of Education. The document is a long one and covers many important subjects. In the report there is necessarily a good deal of historical material ahd many citations from authorities ahd from evidence submitted. The general nature of the report, however, may he gathered fro hi the following summary! Constitution of the University. The present constitution —that is, an examining university, with affiliated institutions —is very severely criticised by the commission. Two methods oi reform are suggested: (h) A federal university of the type of Wales. ' _ .; .(b) Four universities with limited charters.

The commission follows all other commissions in condemning the purely examining university such as exists in Now Zealand, and considers that, in view of the small population of New Zealand, the nature of the university staffs and the plan of decentralisation, “a reformed federal system is the best for the present conditions.” The commission recommends that, in addition to the governing bodies-of the colleges and the professional boards, there shouldi be, two university bodies: fa.) The council (present .Senate); and (b) the Academic Board (present Board) of Studies). In suggesting the constitution of these bodies tlie commissioners are moved by the desire “to minimise as far as we, can the operation of the provincial jealousies and strife which have in the past, wc are convinced, operated prejudicially .to the interests of tlie university. ’ ’ ; It is suggested that the constitution of these bodies should, be as follows: — The council, twenty-one, members; six appointed by the Govemor-iri-Councii, three by the Academic Board, one by the governing' body of each college, five by the General Court ol Convocation, the principal of the university, the Director of Education, undone' co-opted member.. The Academic Board, twenty-one members; the principal, eight members electee'll by the professors- of the University. and three by each Professorial Board.

A dominant feature is that under this constitution the colleges would be given a very large measure of autonomy. Subject to the final approval of the Council or Academic Board, or both, each college would have power to carry"on its own administration and arrange the academic details of its courses: The Commission insists that, with staffs of different aptitudes ajul interests, any attempt to make all teachers of a subject conform to a. coin, nton rigid syllabus is bound ‘to devitalise tliei teaching and' destroy the cjnthusiaSm of both teacher and student. Tlie university examination in a subject' would be- conducted by the professor. and an external examiner appointed by the Council. All degrees would, be degrees of tlie university, as at present. University Education.

The report, in a, striking summary, '.guys': “Tlie general impression deft on our 'minds is that tlie New Zealand University oilers unrivalled facilities for gaining university degrees, but that it is less successful in providing university education. ” The commission condemns; the dominant place given to .examining and indicates the evil effects of this system on the study and training provided "in the secondary schools and university colleges. Further, the commission considers the standard of tlie matriculation examination' a»ld' the Pass B:Av, and .8..5c., all too- low. While approving of facilities lining given to the evening student, the Commissioners strongly condemn the present practice i n many faculties of allovVilig- university standards to be determined by the work of- part-time students; criticise very drastically the .present system of university training for (the “legal find [teaching professions, ahd make far-reacliilig recommendations in these matters; condemns the tendency to duplicate special schools, and suggest a policy for preventing this. These evils can be remedied only by a concerted effort to educate tlie pubdie to realise the real nature of university education and ideals : ‘‘Among the worst effects of a university system" dominated by external examination and rigidly imposed syllabusesare not only that these tend to make the teaching formal and lacking in stimulus, hut that they also confirm and strengthen the popular view that a university is a place which student's attend merely to secure degrees which have definite occupational values. The effect of such an idea strongly held in the community is most insidious, and makes progress towards the realisation of truer ideals of university life and work very slow and difficult.” Evidence of this spirit is indicated by the deplorable condition of university libraries. The university of Bangor, with about half the students of a New Zealand college, lias in its library about 50 per cent, more books than are to be found in all the college libraries in this Dominion. The commission recommends that tlie expenditure of £IO,OOO, spread over five years, should be made to remedy these gl a ri tig defects. The University and Secondary Education. The commission recommetids that the present matriculation examination should be abolished and should be replaced by: (a) An Intermediate Examination (at about 16 years of age).(b) A School Leaving Examination (at about IS years "of age), whe n the full secondary school course is completed. / These examinations should be controlled by a Secondary Schools’ Board (appointed by the university), on which the university, the Education Department, and the secondary school, teaclifers should be represented. Entrance to the university would lie gained by taking approved courses in these two examinations. By this means it [would be possible to leave the schools free, to meet the university requirements for entrance, to provide school leaving certificates, and to attach due importance to practical and oral work that is not tested in the written exam, ination. The commission does not recommend the immediate introduction of a system of accrediting. It sfiggests that this might lie clone in ten years’ time. Training of Teachers. The commission strongly urges that there should be much closer co-opera-tion of education and the training colleges, so that a propel classification of the entrants of the 'teaching profession may be made with a view to providing each with the type of training suitable

to his or her ability, aptitude, ahd> future sphere of work. It tfiat one and the same person should, be professor of education and principal of the training college. No one should be accepted for training who has not completed a full course at a secondary school. These entrants should he classified, some being given one year’s professional training only, others being allowed longer courses if desirable In tlie case of approved students a full university course with post-graduate professional training Ishould be provided. The commission-especially con. demns degree course and their professional training at the same time. The university vacations might be used for ‘‘practice” teaching. The commission recommends that in one university college there should be provided a_ fullyequipped school for the training of secondary school teachers. Legal Education. The commission condemns most strongly the present methods and considers them detrimental to the public interest. <‘‘Legal praetitioneil-s have always been regarded as members of a learned profession, as, indeed, is shown by the .• customary curtesy of allusion to" ‘m'v 'learned friend:’ it appears to us that unless a marked change is effected in the legal education provided j u the Dominion;, this term runs the risk of being regarded as a delicate sarcasm.” The commission recommends : (a) That there should' be set up a . council of legal education, representative of the judges, legal profession and university, and that this body should have the powers now vested in the judges under the haw Practitioners’ Act. (]>) That the standard of entrance should be raised very considerably. (c) That every candidate should lie required to take a definite period of practical training in a law office. (b) That the “back-door” to the barristers’ profession should be closed. (e), Tiiat a -jlaw school, • properly Staffed and "equipped with a good law library, should be established at the most “suitable university centre. Special Schools. The commission considers that the aim should Ire to provide in each professional course the best possible training at some one centre of the Dominion, but that work might be taken in other centres wherever this can be done without increasing cost or lowering efficiency. The commission therefore recommends: (a) That the present haphazard method of establishing special , school should 1 cease and a policy for the future be determined upon". (b) That the school of engineering at Auckland should be recognised for the first and second Professional examinations of the B.E. degree. (c) That only one school of agriculture should* be recognised in the North Island. (d) That Lincoln College should either provide a- real university course in agriculture or cease to be recognised for this purpose) and undertake merely diploma courses for young farmers. (e) That a university school of agriculture should provide homo ,ioj soiuiouooa pi.mi pun souuducko farmers’ wives and daughters. (f) That there should be only one school of forestry, and this should be situated at Auckland. (g) That clinical instruction for final year medical students should be organised' at Auckland. (h) That bursaries should be provided for the maintenance of selected students wishing to undertake a professional course at a distant university centre. (i) That finances of special schools should be kept separate and distinct. (j) That there should be due delimitation of the functions of the special schools and technical schools. University Staffs.

The commission stresses the vital importance of the staffs in university education, urges that much greater care should be taken in the selection of the personnel, that better salaries and conditions are necessary, and much more-attention must be paid to junior and tutorial staffs. The commission notes the very detrimental results that have followedthe worship of the examination fetish ahd is convinced that these evils can be remedied only by giving it the greatest possible freedom in its task of creating enthusiasm for knowledge among student's so that these may be prepared to take their share in the work of research. True university teaching consists in co-operation "between teacher and student i' n study and investigation. “The adoption of the recommendations throughout this report will necessitate new financial arrangements being made for the university. When there are finder consideration the classification, salary and status of the teaching staff should be reviewed in the light of the considerations we have set out herein and in those contained in the printed evidence.” General. The commission also makes a inufiher of recommendations dealing with research, student activities, representation on college governing bodies, degrees in divinity and ~ extra-mural work. It is an interesting historical fact flint the recommendations of this com. mission follow somewhat the lines of the report of the 1878 commission. The present conditions are, of course, very different, but the general principles laid down are very similar. Minister’s Comments. In presenting. the report, the Minister of Education (the Hon. Sir James Parr) remarked: “I may say that I have not yet had time to go carefully into the- details of the report. I may, however, safely say that it is a most informative and valuable document. The commission is amply justified, for its report proves, beyond question that an inquiry and overhaul was necessary. My great regret is that an investigation into university education in this country has been so long delayed. It should -have taken place years ago. With most of the main recommendations I cordially agree. It will be my duty at an early date to bring the matter before Cabinet and then before flic various educational bodies con-