MATRICULATION EXAMINATION

Otago Witness, Issue 2915, 26 January 1910, Page 34

MATRICULATION EXAMINATION

QUESTION OF RAISING STANDARD. AFFIRMATIVE VIEW ADOPTED. After having been under consideration by the Scholarships Committee (Professors J. M. Brown, J. R. Brown, Chilton, Salmon, d, R. J. Scott, F. D. Brown, and Mr Hogben), the question of raising the standard of the matriculation examination was brought before the University Senate on Monday, and was fully discussed. Professor F. D Brown (convenor of the Scholarship Committee) submitted a report. The committee considered that this was one of the mcst important matters that had been put before it, and it had given it lengthy and close consideration, and had had reports before it. One of these, from Canterbury College, attempted to find a reason for the matriculation standard being so low, and thought it might be due to parents hurrying boys and girls through the secondary schools. This, the committee thought was the real difficulty. A great number of boys and girls wanted to pass the examination after too short a stay in the secondary schools. The committee therefore had taken this fact into consideration in its report. That portion dealing with the matriculation examination was as follows: The committee is of opinion that the standard of matriculation is too low and should be raised so that the whole examination should represent the reasonable result of four years' training in a secondary school aid that the examiners be so instructed. The committee recommends — That the compulsory subjects of the entrance examination should be as follows : (1) English (two papers) including elementary questions in history and geography. (2) Mathematics (two papers), including arithmetic, algebra, and the elements of geometry. (3) Latin, Greek, French, or German (one paper). (4) One of the following branches of science (one paper): Mechanics, heat and light, electricity and magnetism, eiicmistry, zoology, botany, agriculture. And that, in addition, every candidate shall pass in one subject to be eelccted from the subjects mentioned in the existing statute, and not already taken by the candidate, but shall net offer himself for examination in more than two such subjects. Professo-r Brown than proceeded to explain the difference between the system mow in existence and that proposed, amd pointed out that one of the advantages of the course suggested was that it would do away with the preliminary medical examination. Continuing, he said that, as only arithmetic had been compulsory for the matriculation examination in the past, some of the lower branches of mathematics had fo be learnt by this student after leaving the secondary school, which was not right. As certain of the same committee's recommendations affecting the B.A. degree and scholarship examinations also affected the matriculation examination, Professor Browi; referred briefly to them also. These recommendations were as fellow :—- 1. That the statute of the B.A. degree be amended by adding the provision that no undergraduate be allowed to keep terms for that degree in an affiliated college unless he has passed in .Latin or Greek at the matriculation standard. 2. That the programmes of work of the matriculation examination and of the junior scholarship examination be assimilated as far as possible. 3. That the papers in bioloo-y for the matriculation, junior scholarship, and medical intermediate examinations may. whenever suitable, be illustrated with photographs of dissections or of parts of plants or animals for the purpose of identification by candidates. 4. That in the statute dealing with the ocirrior national scholarships (Calendar, pasre 79), section V bo amended by the addition of tho words " such tuition being limited a* to the number of classes taken, at the discretion of the Profes-se-'-l Board of the college." The committee further suggests that . in the event of mathematics being made compulsory for the entrance examination the subject should be no longer compulsory for the B.A. degree, and that this suggestion be referred to the Recess Committee appointed to consider the B.A. and B.Se. courses. The Professor explained that recommendation No. 1 was inserted because frequently the student who passed the pie!imina'*y examination did not take Latin or Greek,

and was handicapped in consequence. If this rule were made compulsory the student would be able to bring himself more up to the standard of his fellow students. After the luncheon adjournment consideration of the report was taken, and the clauses were discussed seriatim. Professor Brown moved the adoption of the first clause. Mr Hogben seconded. The matriculation examination represented a standard of educational attainment recognised over a great part, of the world, and it should represent a fair amount of scholarship. The attainment of this standard would not mean that unnecessary hardship would be inflicted upon young students. The clau.se did not mean that the student had to attend any particular school: he simply had to attain a certain standard of education. He did not believe that the affirmation of this principle would' cause any teacher to suffer by reason of the derangement of the standards ; he did not think it would injuriously affect more than a very small proportion of young teachers who wished to continue their education. It, would not prevent them from entering the trainingcollege, and it would only shut out from the University those who were at present really unfit to enter its doors. Dr Fitchett expressed his disapproval ot the motion very frankly and vigorously. He proceeded to point out how the matriculation examination had already proved too much for a great proportion of candidates, and in spite of this fact they wished to raise the standard. During the last examination more students had been. "plucked l " than ever before. "A more monstrous proposal was never before this Senate," he declared. It, was quite clear to him how this came about; he understood that the proposed change wias the wish of the professors. He did not blame the professors. They were acting from a sense of duty, and were striving to get a higher proportion of first ckss students. Then they had, on the other hand', Mr Hogben, who was naturally interested in the success of the secondary s.thools. and did not wish any student to the University except through the doors of the secondary schools. Mr Hogben made a gesture of dissent. Dr Fitchett said that he had expressed his opinion. Ho might be wrong. lie went on to say that their duty as trustees of the University was to see that a sound education was placed within the reach of all those who wished to profit by it. It. was in that light that they should repaid the rmtriculation examination, but the professors looked at it differently. They said: " Give us men who are practically qualified for the B.A. degree when they matriculate." They now had junior scholarship holders who were practically qualified to take the B.A. degree. What would be the result if the matriculation examination were raised to within measureablo distance of the junior scholarship? A fine thing for the professors! Their duty as a Senate was to bring within the walls of the University as many of the population as desired such a privilege, and not to raise the standard of the entry examination which, limiting the number of entrants, would stunt and starve the University and raise an outcry from one end of the country to another. He was not afraid to say that it seemed to him that the standard at present was already too high. The main evil in raising the standard of matriculation would be that parents would not be prepared to send their boys to study at the University. At present if a boy managed to matriculate his parents were prepared to make 'a sacrifice and keep him at the University. They would not do so otherwise. In the past students who had entered the University and wore found to be somewhat below the standard set by the professor were formed into classes by themselves and placed under the tuition" of a forward student. The professors possibly did not care very much for this arrangement, but in these classes experience had shown there had been students who afterwards proved to be most brilliant scholars. ; The Rev. A. Cameron said that he quite sympathised, with the desire of the orofessors to have better trained students." But at the same time he regarded the University js belonging to the people, and not to the professors, and their interest as a Senate was how to promote the education of the people generally and not to promote the education of the few. He was .certainly in favour of students attending the secondary schools, but there were students who did not have the opportunity of doing so —and in, many cases these 'attowere men who, so far as the life of* the community was concerned, would do more tnan nv>rtv e.f those who went through the High. Schools. Under the proposed ech-me many difficulties would be placed in the wav of such men, and they would probably find it impossible to matriculate. A Member (ironicallv): Will you accept the Six Standard certificate then? The Rev. A. f Cameron said that the Scotch Universities, until recent years, had no matriculation standard at all, and Scotland had had, reason to be proud of the me.-i who passed through her universities. He ventured to say that if the matriculation standard was raised there would be such an outcry from one end of the country to the other that it would make the Senate pause. (" Hear, hear.") Their University was to fit, people for life in New Zealand, not for the cultivation of a special few. Mr Von Haast expressed his great surprise that two members of the Senate sua}. as Dr Fitchett and the Rev. Mr Cameron should, in the face of the general demand for a higher standard of matriculation, take an entirely opposite view He did not think either of the gentlemen would care to faco an election on the point. He ventured to say that if Mr Cameron went back to his constituents on this question lie would bo hopelessly defeated. The Rev. Mr Cameron: I would be quito prepared to do it at any time. Mr Von Haast said that Dr Fitchett had a. number of statements which had indicated that he wanted all sorts of people who were not going to materially benefit by the University to have entrance there, the result being that the work of the University would be hampered. Mr Cameron seemed to be under the impression that they wanted to compel students, to attend the secondary schools, but that was not so. "It seems to me." coT.-t.inued the speaker, " that what Dr Fitchett and Mr Cameron want is thus: they want, instead of our improving our educational system, to deliberately degrade the university education of this Dominion to secondary education, and the result will be that eooondcry education will be degraded to primary education, and, instead

of the Dominon benefiting', the standard of education will become lower and lower, and our young- people will be at a distinct disadvantage compared with the children of other countries where, instead of the education standard being lowered, it is constantly being raised." There was an outcry from every part of New Zealand that they should raise the matriculation standard, and have much of the work done in the secondary schools that was now done in the universities. Professor J. E. Brown was in favour of the motion. There was, he said, the same outcry when it was proposed to establish the matriculation, standard in the Seorcn universities, but the universities i soon adapted themselves to altered conditions. The change certainly had depleted the classes, but they had gradually righted themselves, and in a few years there was practically the same class of students there as before. There were now 7000 free places granted in the secondary schools to primary school pupils, and any child with brains should have no great difficulty in. getting the necessary training at the High School to fit himself for matriculation. There was no wish on the part of members of the Senate to shut the door of the university against any student. Professor Salmond confessed that hewas in a difficulty. The committee had had documents sent to it from many influential quarters, showing that the present matriculation standard was tco "°w. But on the- standard set in the past half the candidates had failed, and on the present standard two-thirds had failed. Now, they were assured that the suggested standard would only permit some 20 per cent, to pass. It was not easy to know how to act, but, still, he was going to vote for the motion. A higher matriculation standard would raise the standard of teaching, and, as Professor Brown had just pointed out, it would not deter any student who really wished to enter the University from doing 60. , Professor Chilton thought there was little doubt that the standard was very low. He believed that the matriculation examination was used by many students as a sort of "leaving" examination for the secondary school, and that many candidates came forward who were very ill-pre-pared for the examination, but who entered and sat as a sort of advertisement for the teacher and school. After some further discussion, the motion was put and carried by 14 votes to 4. The noes were the Rev. Mr Cameron, the Hon. Dr Collins, Dr Fitchett, and Dr M'Dowell.