UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21052, 14 June 1930, Page 11

UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE.

SYSTEM OF ACCREDITING. COUNCIL OF EDUCATION DISCUSSION. (Special to Daily Times.) WELLINGTON, June 13. The University entrance examination ran the gauntlet o£ severe criticism from members of the Council of Education today, when the system of _ accrediting in lieu of examinations was discussed. Matriculation was described by one member as a “ *3bs up." The council carried the following resolution^ —“ That the council regrets the delay in the adoption of the system of accrediting for University entrance and urges the University to accept the Education Department’s assurance that adequate safeguards will be provided to ensure the satisfactory working of the system."

Mr T. B. Strong (Director of Education) stated that a]t the recent meeting of the University Senate the question was not dealt with in’ a general way. The University officers could - not take any action without a definite instruction from the Senate, and he had been informed that the vice-chancellor proposed to place the matter before the next meeting of the senate. He foresaw that nothing would be done this year. The senate must pass a definite resolution that the Statute governing matriculation must be altered in a definite way. No doubt the senate would confirm the proposals, though there were certain members who had voiced opposition. He thought the majority of the members of the senate were in favour of giving the system a trial, though it would mean the postponement of the scheme for a year. He himself was in favour of giving the' system a trial for a few .years. No doubt the senate would consider the position of students, who were accredited in New Zealand but who were not accepted abroad. Those who failed to be accredited would' have to have the right to sit for the examinations held for outside students. In the course of a general discussion it was stated that the senate wanted a strengthened inspectorate. Mr M. A. Bell (Assistant Director of Education), said there were nine men and women already willing to take part in the work. Referring to the disparity in examination records, he said that in 1925 32 per cent, of the students passed the examination, and two years later, with approximately the same number of candidates, the same schools, and the same teachers, 55 -per cent, passed. Gould a greater attack be made on the efficiency of an examination than that? The result of the examination was vital to the whole career of the pupil, and it was a toss up whether a child passed or not. Last year, before the examination results were known, the department wrote to the principals of secondary schools and asked them to place their pupils under four headings:—(l) Those who should undoubtedly pass; (2) those who had a good chance of passing; (3) doubtful candidates; (4) those who had no chance at all. In regard to No. 1, 94 per cent, passed, 10 per cent, of “undoubted passes" failing. Of those who had a “good chance," CO per cent, passed. Of the “ poor chances ’’ 26 per cent, passed, and of the duSera 8 par cent, passed. For a system that gave such results the department wanted to- substitute a system of accrediting. Where the results of the school examinations were taken into consideration with the opinion of the teacher, the sooner the accrediting system was put into operation the better it would be for. the schools and the whole of the education system. Miss N. E. Goad remarked that private schools did not favour accrediting, , Mr Strong: It is not proposed to make it compulsory. . Miss Goad said she wanted to know whether 1 accrediting should be done for the university entrance official examination or for the university as they knew it. Was the psychology of . the examination of to-day in accordance with the development of education in New Zealand? asked Mr W. A. Armour. Accredited pupils Would be. watched by the university pro-' feasors, he . said, and if the pupils did not do well the schools would be blacklisted. 1 Consequently • principals would accredit only pupils of whom they were absolutely sure, and no border-line cases would got any benefit from accrediting this year. : Further, there was no use of accrediting candidates for medicine or law. Accrediting would have to be introduced gradually. The public might be disappointed at the results at the beginning., * .If we all dropped the word ‘matriculation we would do more good than anything else,” he said.