EXAMINATION RESULTS.

Northern Advocate, 30 January 1922, Page 4

EXAMINATION RESULTS.

Pupils of the W'hangirei High School certainly did exceedingly well in the New Zealand Unversity's matriculation examination at the end of last year, fully justifying the congratulations which the Board of Governors at its meeting last week decided to convey to the principal and moin?;ers of the staff. The .matriculation examination is an exceedingly important one for secondary schools, the majority of whose pupils make this the final objective of their .scholastic career, there are not very many who can go on to the tluve or four years' course of university work. The boy or girl who iha.s passed the matriculation examination has attained a recognised standard and opened the door to various positions and pursuits, and it is certainly gratifying to find the Whangarei High School so faithfully doing its duty in fitting its pupils for the careers that lie before them. But while the school has been remarkably successful in preparing its third and fourth year pupils for the matriculation test, it seems to have obtained less -satisfactory results in the ca.se of second year pupils. Only three candidates from this district were successful in the recent Public Service

entrance examination, and none of the candidates for senior national scholarships gained sufficient marks to qualify for that distinction. This suggests either that the work of the lower forms i.n the High School has not been as thorough as that of the higher forms has been, or that there is some disability affecting pupils in the early years of their secondary school life. That the latter alternative is the one to .be looked into is apparently indicated by the fact that no candidate in the district from which the Whangarei High School principally draws its .recruits was able to obtain a junior national .scholarship at the last examination. This examination covers the whole Dominion, n;r.d in most districts sixth standard pupils from the primary schools aim to obtain scholarships. We find that more than 30 primary schools in the Auckland education district obtained junior scholarships, many of the city schools gaining three or four each. Outside the city it is worth noting that Hamilton West took three scholarships and Hamilton East two. Does this mean that the .primary school standard is not quite as high as it should be in this district? There may be another explanation, but if there is mot we must assume that the High School is handicapped through having to undertake work that should be done in it.ho primary schools. This may be due to some lack of co-ordination between the primary and secondary systams, «nd 'if that is the caso a remedy should be applied. This may not be a difficult matter, but it seems to be one that deserves attention. The High School certainly has not done as well with the junior pupils as it has with those who have been longer in its care. If there is a weakness somewhere between the primary and the secondary school it should be found and remedied.