FEES FOR EXAMINATIONS.

Northern Advocate, 31 October 1910, Page 5

FEES FOR EXAMINATIONS.

STATEMENT BY HON. D. BUDDO

ANIMADVERSIONS ANSWERED.

WELLINGTON, Oct. 31

Replying to the Rev. Fraser's statements published in the Dunedin "Star" that pupil teachers drawing small salaries have to pay excessive fees for their necessary qualifying examinations, that pupil teachers are compelled to sit for the Civil Service examination, for which they are charged an exorbitant fee, and that the Department takes £4000 for students' examinations, the Hon. Buddo gives the facts briefly as follow:—

The Department holds examinations from November to January. In November, December and January last there were over 7000 candidates for these examinations, of whom 6500 actually sat. Of these 2214 were candidates for the Junior National and Education Board Junior Scholarships and Free Places. Formerly the Boards held their own separate examinations, paying the expenses out of their own funds. Now the Department holds a general examination for Junior Scholarships and pays the expenses, neither boards nor candidates being charged. The last time 2369 sat for the Civil Service Junior, the Education Board Senior Scholarships, Free Places, and Pupil Teachers examinations, these being in two grades, competitive and non-competitive, the candidates for the Senior Free places and Pupil Teachers taking the latter, for which no fee was charged. There was no fee for the Education Board Senior Scholarships, the only candidates paying being those for entrance into the Public Service, who pay £1. No pupil teacher need pay a fee unless he or she chooses to be a candidate for entrance into the Public Service. Candidates for probationerships can qualif by passing the intermediate examination, for which there is no fee. Candidates desiring entrance into a training college must matriculate or obtain a partial "D" certificate. The fee for the former is two guineas, payable to the New Zealand University, and the fee for the latter is £1, this being insufficient to cover cost of the examination. The last series of examinations are for "D," "C," and "B" certificates for the Civil Service Sen'or. For the former 1675 entered and 1452 sat, many taking both *'C" and "D" papers, paying the fees of both. The total fees paid by the 1675 candidates amounted to £1658 2s Gel, and not £4000, as Mr-Fraser had stated.

It is the head teacher's duty to give suitable and regular instruction to pupil teachers and probationers.