ROYAL COMMISSION ON SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1449, 30 August 1879, Page 7

ROYAL COMMISSION ON SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

This report being now in our hands, w extract the following as containing some of the principal recommendations of the Commissioners regarding the University :—: — It appears to us that the University Senate, in carrying on its work within the limits thus prescribed to it, has rendered valuable service to the cause of education, particularly by the institution of scholarships for the encouragement of students in the pursuit of a liberal cul« ture ; but that it has erred in taking too sanguine a view of the capabilities of secondary schools which aspired ta rise to tbe level of collegiate institutions, and by affiliating these schools on terms of apparent equality with colleges affording a rue academical education. W e believe that in a great measure the action of the Senate in this respect has been due to the want of means for tho establishment of collegiate institutions properly so called in the North Island. We strongly recommend that this inequality in the educational institutions of the two Islands should be removed at once, by estab. lishing at the most important centres of population in the North Island colleges capable of supplying an education of the same standard as that provided by the University of Otago and the Canterbury College. This course will render it necessary, and will at the same time make it possible, to remodel the Now Zealand University, by abolishing the system of affiliation, and bringing the Otago University and the Canterbury College, togethf r with the new colleges proposed to be established, into a much closer relation with the University than the present system admits of. Entering more fully into details, we propose that the Government should invite the Legislature to make immediate provision for the establishment of two college* — one at Auckland, and the other at Wellington — of guch a character as has been already indicated. It appears to us that the institutions should be founded on the naodel of the oxisting academic institutions in Canterbury and Otago ; and that, with thia view, a staff of professor* should be engaged for each college as fellows :— (1) Professor of Latin and Greek ; (2) Professor of English Language, Literature, and History; (3) Professor of Mathematics and Mathematical.' Physics ; (4) Professor of Chemistry and Experimental Physics; (5) Professor of Natural Science. It will probably be found neces«ary, in nearly every case, to appoint a Commission in Great Britain for the purpose of selecting professors. We aro of opinion that it will be necessary for the Government either to select out of landa at its disposal suitable sites for college buildings at Auckland and Wellirgb>>n, or to acquire such sites ; and that two grants of L 12,500 ea«h fchould be made for the building of the two colleges, and for fittings and apparatus. Although these sums are not equal to those expended for , like purposes in JDunedin "and Chrislohurch, we think they will be found sufficient for present requirements. We recommend the erection of the college buildings be undertaken by the Govern, ment, and that the plans and specifications for each college be (submitted iov proval to . a Board comietin of fpf

members of the University Senato and two members of the Council of the collage, of which Council the proposed mode of appointment will be hereafter described. The same Board might also be consulted as to the selection of the Bite. For the annual maintenance of these two colleges it is suggested that the Government should take such steps as they may deem best for utilising the reaerves set apart forthe promotion of higher education in theProvineial districts of Auckland and Wellington. Thess reserves in the Auckland district amount to 30.354 acres, and in tha Wellington district to 4000 acres. At present they yield no revenue, but we are advieed that from some of them at least arentalmight be immediately obtained (see Evidence, p. 96, question 2042). The establishment of the colleges, however, should not be deferred until, or made dependent upon, the letting or sale of these reserves. As the present endowments may be presumed to be inadequate, our recommendation is that the two colleges lac respectively endowed with Crown lands sufficient to provide an immediate income to each amounting to L4OOO per annum ; and that, if it be not practicable to make reserves bringing in at once such an income, the deficit in each ease, until such income shall be realised, be made good by % pacuniary grant, to be appropriated in a new University Act. On the question whether it is desirable that the University should have a fixed seat we were by no means agreed. The following resolution wa 1 * carried by seven votes against six : • — " That the New Zealand University should have its seat and hold its meetings in the Otago University buildings, in the City of Dunedin, and all degress granted by the Senate of the New Zealand University should be publicly granted and conferred in tha City of Dunedin ; provided that students, when graduating, shall not necessarily be required to be present at the ceremony of graduation." Foot notes are appended to the general report as under : — We, the undersigned members of the Commission, beg to record our dissent from that portion of the ab^vo report which lecommeuds that the seat of the University should be fixed by Act at Dunedin. The following are our reasons : — (1) That it is a proposal which is not foundtd on the evidence taken before the Commission ; (2) that it has arisen from and involves political considerations of a retrospective character which are foreign to the subjects submitted to the Commission; (3) that it involves a contradiction of the proposed scheme for the constitution of the University ac understood by us, tho fundamental principle of which is, that the University colleges .shall be on a footing of equality ; (4) that it is important to the success of the University, constituted as proposed, that the Senate should be enabled to hold its meetings at any of the University colleges, and so keep alive an active interest in its proceedings in all parts of the Colony; (5) that it is not desirable that the Senate should bo limited in the selection of the Chancellor to persons residing in or near to Dunedin, which would be the necessary result of the proposal that the Registrar's office and the meetings of tha Senate should be permanently fixed there. James Wallis . James Heotob Wm. Jas. Habiks J. M. Bbown C. H. H. Cook W. Edw. Mulqah. While I assent generally to the recommendations contained in this report, I desire to express my dissent from that part of it in which it is recommended that the examiners of the New Zealand University should aB a rule be taken from ameng the professors of the University colleges. I think it wrong that any professor or lecturer should be placed in the exceedingly difficult position of having to pronounce upon the relative merits of his own students and others educated at rival colleges. I think it not . unlikely that this difficulty will lead to the break-down of the scheme, and will precipitate the establishment of four or more distinct Universities. I think, further, that it is unwise to condemn the plan of conducting the examination by means of printed papers furnished by examiners resident in England, and forwarded by them through the post, until that plan ha« been fairly tried and proved to be unworkable. I believe that in all subjects except physical and natural science, such a mode of examination would be perfectly satisfactory, and that any inconvenience arising from the delay of a few wseks in the publication of the roiults would be amply compensated by the unimpeachable character of the examination. G. S. Sale. I concur with the above. — James Heotob. I am of opinion that the affiliation of existing educational institutions to the University should not cease immediately upon the coming into operation of the Act dealing with the University and establishing the proposed colleges, but that ifc should remain in force until the new colleges are actually established. James Heotob. I do not approve of this report. W. H. Cutten.