Plan To Improve Standard Of English

Northern Advocate, 16 January 1948, Page 4

Plan To Improve Standard Of English

DUNEDIN,Fri. (Sp.)—“An insistence on a pass in English, irrespective of marks gained in other subjects, would ensure that all candidates who pass the entrance examination have a reasonable competence in their own language.”

This suggestion to raise the standard of English for university entrance was made by the Senate of the University of New Zealand yesterday by the ViceChancellor (Professor I. A. Gordon).

In his experience the standard of English of entrance scholarship scripts was exceedingly good. Until accrediting was introduced, some 5000 candidates offered English, and the quality of the lower 50 per cent was very poor. At present the number of candidates was over 1000, the lower end of which contained many pupils who were not really fit to profit by university work.

“FINISHING SCHOOL?’’ “My own impression is that the standard of entrance English could well be raised,” he said.

“At present a candidate whose English is below standard may yet enter the university on a total pass mark where his work in other subjects i« sufficient to compensate for his failure in English. “If the University is to become a general educational institution for all students with educational qualifications above a certain modest minimum, a sort of finishing school on top of secondary education, then there is no reason for stiffening up entrance standards.

This policy will result in a continuation of the present very large classes and the University will have to be staffed accordingly. “If, on the other hand, and‘this is my own opinion, the function of the University is to train a group of abler students, who will always be a minority in the community, our present entrance standards should be raised.

POORLY-EQUIPPED STUDENTS "At present in the University we carry in every class a group, the percentage varies from subject to subject, of students who, through lack of ability or of interest, fail in their degree examinations, some of them more than once.

“The addition of such poorly-equip-ped students is an extra burden on facilities already overtaxed and we have no power of refusing admi-non to a candidate, however poor his previous -ecord.

‘The p-oblcm of entrancedepends then on our conception of university education. “It is to be. like secondary education, a birthright of all but the dullest, or is to be selective for a minority group of the able and more intelligent?”