UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18642, 25 February 1924, Page 9

UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE.

THE ACCREDITING SYSTEM. BEGONSIDERATION DESIRED CONFERENCE TO BE HELD. '•■.;' i-;.'-. .'; •'. -," ■ :.'•■■ • '•' ■■' .: ;■■'''" .■'..' [BT- TELEGRAPH.—-.'' .COJIBJESPONDBNT.] '- CHEISTCHtreCfI. SfttOrfay. ' ":] The Senate of the University of New Zealand has not heard the last of the proposal to adopt an accrediting system in lieu of the matriculation examination. When the Senate met to-day the registrar read a ' letter from the Secondary Schools' Association of New Zealand, ex-' pressing regret at the Senate's -decision to abandon any consideration of the accrediting system. It stated that it failed to see why the ' Board 'of Studies • should have seen -fit to kill the scheme proposed. As far as the association could see the various exceptions made were entirely unnecessary; The association heartily endorsed the sentiments of the Director of Education, Mr. J. Caughley, when he criticised the matriculation examination as dominating to an extraordinary and undesirable extent the whole of the instruction given in the secondary schools. In view, of that fact the association asked that the Senate should arrange for v a meeting as soon as possible, in Wellington, of representatives , from the Senate Board of Studies, the Education Department, and the Secondary Schools' Association Executive. The importance of the change advocated repeatedly by the association, it was claimed, merited a frank interchange of views and a full discussion. ' The 'letter concluded •by stating that the ' association had taken • great pains to draw up a basis for discussion. ■ There was no matter of greater educational importance to the, secondary schools than the accrediting system and the matriculation examination. Dr. Hight suggested that a deputation might be received from the Secondary Schools' Association in Wellington, and that the association should be given an opportunity of laying its views before the representatives of the Senate. Professor R. M. Algie (Auckland): I am strongly opposed to the accrediting system, but I move that the Wellington Recess Committee take steps to arrange a conference as desired by the Secondary Schools' Association. The motion was carried.