SCHOOL CERTIFICATES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 9 December 1938, Page 3

SCHOOL CERTIFICATES

REGULATIONS CLARIFIED The regulations governing the award of primary school certificates have recently been clarified in welcome fashion (comments the ‘‘New Zealand Herald”). As a result, these documents may gain some real value as records of achievement, provided, of course, that teacfters observe reasonably uniform standards in awarding them. Whatever the faults of the old examination system for the granting of proficiency certificates, it was at least a fairly sound measure of primary educational attainment. Its final abolition by the present Minister of Education, Mr Fraser, was accompanied by a decision to grant leaving certificates for which no examination was to be necessary,, but last year’s experience was that these certificates were dealt out indiscriminately, based purely on the completion of the normal primary school course and without any reference whatsoever to the quality of work performed. If such a certificate is to be of any real use, it must at least give a prospective employer some assurance that the boy or girl possessing it has average educational qualifications. The amended scheme now requires teachers to award certificates on the basis of regular attendance, diligent study and reasonable proficiency in the course pursued. That certainly removes the defect of vagueness which was apparent last year and, although different teachers may have different views as to what constitutes a reasonable standard of attainment, the result should be very largely the same as that which arose from the accrediting of proficiency certificates. Mr Fraser introduced the present system in order to give a greater degree of freedom to both teacher and pupil, but the wisdom of its general extension to postprimary education is open to doubt. An examination can be made a fetish, but educational freedom can also develop into a fad.