STATE BURSARIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25173, 13 March 1943, Page 4

STATE BURSARIES

DOCTORS AND DENTISTS WORK FOR GOVERNMENT (Special) AUCKLAND, Mar. 12. A matter which is exciting a considerable amount of comment in academic circles in Auckland is the recent granting by the Health Department of bursaries to medical and deiital students who, when they qualify, must serve in the department for several years. One hundred medical students and about 40 dental students have been granted these bursaries, which were allotted departmentally from applicants who responded to a call by advertisement. No examination was required, and the University Colleges were not consulted as to the academic calibre of the students. The colleges, however, are being asked to ' take charge of the payment of the bursaries. Each bursary is worth £7O a year, plus a boarding allowance of £4O available to students living away from home. Those not qualified to receive the boarding allowance are entitled to £lO a year extra. The maximum of £llO, which is what most will receive, seeing that medical and dental education for the greater part of the courses is concentrated in Dunedin, is equal to that given for the highest scholastic distinction - a secondary school pupil can achieve in the competitive field. ■•/ 1 There is adverse comment in academic and medical circles at the departure from the ordinary standard of examination tests in the allotting of these bursaries. Departmental selection was criticised yesterday by - a medical man, who said he understood that the number of applicants was large. Elsewhere it was suggested that the selection appeared to have been made in such a manner that numbers of well-qualified students had been passed over. The period the students, when qualified, will be required to work for the Health Department is four or five years. '