THE UNIVERSITY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15350, 13 January 1912, Page 13

THE UNIVERSITY.

THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE'S ItKPOKT THE CASE WW UEFOHM liy Professor T. 11. I-.VJV. 11. In iiating the Ciise for reform, I propose to make no reference to our cxiuninatUii system, for that .-.lands cond mined by overwhelmbg authority, tvliich anyone may : read in " L'niversilv lteform in New /■■■•>■ ' htud,''' p.iges 11, £"72, Bi!, 114, 19). More- ; over, it ha--, not IJi.vii proposed that a lloy.d j should alter the present cxami- ! iiatini system; ii has from th? lii'.-t l"v» j the toiit'enlion of the reformer.' that I lie examination system should b:> devised by , lliu body of University tcecheif, subject i alwavs to thn final approval of a lay n-Jiai". | .Jt is"puic!v a matter of internal University ! IKilicv, wliich it v.ould be mo.-t unwise lo ! allow niiv outsde liody, surh as a ixmmr.s- ; sion, lo Lnterfeie with and inflict u stereo- j tvped .s.vslcm on the University. With tho I Universttv properly I lielievo . ino.t of ihe reformers would Ih> iputc ton- | tent lo iipi'nl I" it »!<«•! <»» ll, is | lint there are failils ill «ur sy.-tein whicli t |„. Kciinle, if it even «>nsislisl of Iho | Council of Ihe l.'niversity lteform Assoc;a- j (ion (instead of b.'ing, es it is, a dislin- | i;iiislii'd but eojiservjutive Ixxly). could li<)t , leiiiody. for the Senate's powei-s are very ciiTUiiiscrilits.l. Tin- serious defetts 1 refer to aro ib? < xodus of students abroad, the : failure of -medical I'-aching, Ihe want of; (kij lecturers in the North Island, tho over- | lapping lielwccn Ihe tolli-gcs in proles-sional leaching, the siiailencd tinantes of all the , colleges, csp(cially of those of the North \ Isla/id. the need for University librarit-, and Ihe abicnce of Univeivitv teaeliL-ig in j iigricullure in an agricultural community. EXODUS Ml' S'I'UDENTS. If our University svi-teni has failed thou there should exist very doliuite evidence to thai effect. If the training of the t'ni vcrsily Colleges is [kmii- it will drive away such students as can atfnrd it lo utudy abroad I exuitviid that New Zealander>. who can stud their finis to universities abroad, are very often doing so. If they lx-lieve the tmimiig abroad is worth the heavy extra oo.il lliey ail rightly. Tho primary consideration is thai they should be well trained, wherever such training can be obtained. Hut Ihe uintier which is of importance to Ihe community is the causa and moaning of Ihe oxodu-'. No one would send his ton abroad unless he. had no doiibl whatever that the I raining to be obtained in New Zealand colleges was distinctly inferior t-i that of the English universities. The extra cost of a university training abroinl alone amount!} to, say, iIICO a year, l-'iiilher, the student is separ aled fiom his people, and thrown with few ristrainhi on the large centres at Home. It can easily Ik.- imagined what the cUca of that often is. At first, Canadians and Australians who could afford it went to English universities; but the growth of efficient univcrsitii* in Canada and Australia iiractically stopped lh" exodus South Africans, who have acce.-.s only to a university such as our own, go lo unive--fitiej in all parts of Europe. In ]%% 41) New Xealamhrs passed medical cxamina lions in Edinburgh alone, and no doubt sonic failed; and othem studied at London m«hcal schools. We may safclv conclude Ihero wer.', then, f,Q N,., v Zea'landers at Home studying medicine, and some wer-) studying other subjects. I) r Hew, professor of anatomy, AbdlK.urne, wrile,-: "When in Ediiihurgh last y<;ir I was unieli struck by the fact || W | „ !„,,,, majority of Australasian students in Edinburgh emanate from New Zealand, which did not use. to lw the case in my .student days in that university. u i V ' l 'i lt '?• , l,lln f " i,llro ~f our -Medical i'" ' v, " r " ™ s " miserable income of about £.100(1 ~ yes,,-, „ tt ij„ K Nnv j,^. Inmloi's? If I lie 60 .-.lndent., mentioned at.,ye M>end £150 a year each, the New /cahindor.s .-.eiid £0000 » vcar out of tho l)oiiiitiion to inaiiilaiii Ihtisii sludents. Tho legislature's duly in this matter is dear Jt should HMsTlain by „ royal ( x>niinision vvliellier medicine can or cannot be taught cllicieiitly in the Dominion, np thai our qualification wm\i\ <.-mry in New Zealand. If it can be i( , taught, as 1 iM-ieve ,s the c;im-, then it should bo (0 laugh!. If if eaiinol he so laugh!, then it is high time, on grounds of righteousJiesa. public isonomv, and in the intere'ls of Ihe silk, that, the .Medical .School should be closed. •The abite passages on .medical lenching are abslrnctisl from ovideneu before tho committee (pp. 26, 32, to 36). The fuels, which are not disputed are certainly of serious import, yet the report of (lie commiltoo entirely ignores tint Mlbioct. The present position of our University is that tlt-.*u who can afford to S a iilinhkl (reiliienlly do so; but the Univer.-ilv is good cmmirli for the poor man's miii," who has no elKiiisi but lo attend one of our colleges or have no university training. TIIE NEED J.-OK DAY'idXTCIiES. In the North Island colleges mo,t of iho lectures are dulivercd after 5 p.m., and so lluxM colleges are practically night rt'hools. What should lie merely an additional means of university education becomes the only education available |o many students. 'I'o meet tho hardship of the exceptional stiitlenl, it hardship is indicted on all students. Consider the position of the most intelligent youths of from IB to 21 years of age, who are inlelJecUiiilly lit tor a university cduititioii, mid coiisoqucnllv upon whom, more than anvouo else, deiM'iid.s the future of Nuw Zealand. What do the .State and the University ill their wisd.im ask of these people? Till. Stale roni|>cls Iheni to ]ireparo for lilt; defence of this Doiiiiniou; the Univeisity in the North Island invites this? buys lo earn a living concurrently with iheir university training. Now, all competent authorities are agreed that lo obtain a degree in tht-eo years is stillieient to <Hxupv the whole mid undiviihsl attention of any student. Tho student in the North Island is expected not, only to do thai, but lo earn his living, -nnl itake a share in I'he defence of his countiy. •And this is done in a commiiiiitv -which .holds ilsolf up to Ihe world n s ii model in the humanity and wisdom of its social arrangements. It is certainly high time thnt the North Maud collides were put m a p.witjou to <m\i.s! ln'ing men- night schools, find Iha I llu\se> studenls wlm can attend in the day should lie encouraged lo d'i «o, to (jive for a time their whole and tindivhhvl attention lo their university training. The opiHiuents of university 'reform Jiave already attempted to iiiistvpr'eseut < ur jH-silii.ii on this ouostiou. and make it up|M>ar that we wish to discourage Ihe evening ntudeut. That is pure misreprcfentatioli. We ask for additional facilities-day lectins: the evening lectures would slid tsiulluiie. The Education CoinmiHoo in ils report entirely ignores thisiptestiou.a.s it decs the ' exodus of students. THE PItOPOSKU HOVAI, COMMISSION. Mr llerdnuui. on U-half of the lteform .-W.>n'alion, siiggestoel a Hoyal Commission of thiyc-namelv, a nvogni-ivl authority mi tinivi'iiiity tHliifation, sneh as l)r Alex. ■Hill. Professor Gregory Foster, Professor Sid.ller, Pis.f.sssor Hcadlam. and the Hon. iMr Fink-tvlio have forved on lioyal Coin-lim-ions, or gained in oilier ways' recognition as acthorilirs on universitv ori;:iuis.|. tiou- to 1h- assi-led bv iwo Ni*w Zealand imblie men. such as Mr 11. IV Hell, KC j Mr M'Nab. Mr F.nvWs. and Mr lloskim:. ■K.t. lh? re.ioii of a body so constituted would lv- as invaluable to our education I Mslo'll asj.ord Kitcheucr's report has Iwa to the military system; and it would be! impartial an. accepted with eoniidonov by j all concerned. ' ! The London Times ondoi>Ys Ihe Uniw ' nt.v Keform .\sHe:.nio:i's criticism of tho! unuvcrMly.