SCHOOL CERTIFICATE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22318, 16 January 1936, Page 13

SCHOOL CERTIFICATE

EXAMINATION SUPPORTED VIEWS OF BUSINESS MEN FOUR COMPULSORY SUBJECTS The opinion that the school certificate examination merits the support of the business community is expressed, with certain reservations, in a report prepared by a sub-committee of the Associated Chambers of Commerce of New Zealand. The report, which will be considered by the Auckland Chamber to-day, has resulted from investigations extending over a considerable period. * The examination was introduced by the Education Department about two years ago to provide an alternative to the university entrance examination. ]fc was thought that some other examination was required for many pupils who proposed to commence careers in commerce. The subjects; from which a selection may be made, are: —English, history, geography, Latin, French, German, Greek, Maori, arithmetic, algebra and geometry, mechanics, heat and light, electricity and magnetism, chemistry or home science, botany, agriculture, music, drawing, technical drawing. economics, book - keeping, shorthand and typing, needlework, housecraft, technical electricity, heat engines, applied mechanics, trigonometry, not with arithmetic, physiology and hygiene, and general biology. An earlier report held that specialisation at too early a period, and certainly prior to commencing work, was not desirable. This view, which was criticised., is again expressed in the current report, which states that the other section of the committee's recommendations which caused some criticism was the proposal that English, geography, history and arithmetic should be made compulsory for the school certificate examination. It was submitted that no pupil could be said to have had a proper general education unless lie had had adequate tuition in the four subjects named. The previous report showed that the committee did not by any means condemn the school certificate, but placed importance on the issuing by the principal of each secondary school of a certificate or testimonial as being of value to the prospective employer in sumill in "'-up the suitability of n Ctindidat© for employment. While the examination pass indicated a certain capacity equal importance should be placed on .a report by the principal as to the general tuition received by pupils, and an opinion as to their integrity and capabilities.