N.Z UNIVSRSITY

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12194, 20 July 1925, Page 8

N.Z UNIVSRSITY

SHOULD IT BE ABOLISHED? SUPPORT FOR PRESENT SYSTEM "DANGER OF PRESTIGE” Per Press Association. DUNEDIN, July 19. At the University Commission, Professor G. E. Thompson stated that the professorial board at the Otago University were fairly evenly divided on the question of the establishment of four universities, the representatives of the special schools being mostly against the proposal and the arts and sciences professors mostly in favour of it. He voiced the opinions of those who viewed the proposal with serious misgivings. Geographically and intellectually New Zealand was the most isolated of the British dependencies, and had practically no leisured class to create, outside the university, a strong body of highlyeducated opinion. A recent attempt to find external examiners in New Zealand for all pass subjects proved so unsatisfactory, that it could be viewed as an admission that, 'outside the staffs of the university colleges, the persons with the requisite expert knowledge were very few. The retention of the system of home examinations for advanced and honours courses was due to the same conditions. The staffing of various colleges was on the lowest possible scale, and tile co-operation between the four professors of a subject was essential. ' ONE-MAN SYLLABUSES The establishment of four independent universities would remove this co- ! operation, and result in one-man syllabuses, with the existence of four dif- ’ ferent standards of university degrees. ; There was a danger of the prestige of I university education being lowered ow- , tag to the difficulty of gauging the merits of any individual degree. The desire for greater freedom could he met without the radical change pro- ! posed. 'The abolition of the New Zea- ; land University involved the abolition - ! of the examinations conducted by it. ! The awarding of scholarships presented i a grave difficulty unless senior- scho]ai» i ships were awarded to each university, ■ thus quadrupling the present expenditure. It would he impossible to award : them satisfactorily without a common ’ examination. The university entrance, the senior national scholarships, the national research scholarships, the exhibition science scholarship, and the various travelling scholarships were in the same position. Centres which had slowly and laboriously built up a special professional school viewed with dread the possibility of duplication, and the Dominion was not yet able to support more than one expensive professional course. If independence were conferred on each' university college the provincial enthusiasm might compel the embarkation on schemes resulting in two weak schools for one strong one. Dr Thompson, referring to the question of co-operation, stated that every year he saw' his Canterbury colleague two or three times and his Wellington and Auckland colleagues once or twice. The danger of setting up one-man syllabuses would be overcome if the staffs were increased. He would he in favour of awarding scholarships on a marks basis, together with a report by the professor. REQUIREMENTS OF MEDICAL SCHOOL Kir Undo Ferguson, Dean of the Modical School, summarised the points in his evidence as follows: ‘‘To summarise the points raised, we require the establishment of a definite service of assistants which will offer something in the way of a career. We require further laboratory accommodation and facilities for research. We ■ require greater facilities for clinical , work and more control over the or- : ganisation of clinical teaching. We re- ' quire a library with an adequate budget (we are strongly opposed to the abolition of_the New Zealand University degree Tri medicine). We do not consider that the examination system m medicine should be altered. . “We are of opinion that any alteration in the entrance standard of general education should be in the direction of raising it, and we consider the establishment of an opportunity for post-graduate study should be encour-' aged as soon as an increase in our assistant staff gives our seniors sufficient time to devote to the necessary tuition. ”