UNIVERSITY EDUCATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3870, 15 May 1928, Page 23

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION.

MR WRIGHT ON QUESTION OF COST. I WELLINGTON, May 12. Mr R. A. Wright to-day released tin reply he has forwarded in connection v.ith a resolution passed at a recent meeting of the Auckland District Court of Convocation, drawing attention to tho inadequate provision for the education of university students, and submitting <i comparison between expenditure on tha university, and expenditure on secondary schools. The Minister says hs had been advised chat the comparisons made of expondirure were not on a fair basis. “ For example,” he says, “ you took roll number of pupils in grammar schools at the end of the year, which is considerably less than the roll number at the beginning of the year, and you compared that number with the total number of students attending Auckland Universtiy College, most of whom are only part-time students. Again, you have left out of account tho fact that secondary school pupils are in -’♦tendance at least five hours a day for nearly A 0 weeks throughout the year, whereas tho average hourly attendance of university students must be very much less. Further, it must be considered that the first' concern of the Government is to provide elementary education in the primary schools, and "that the next claim is to provide secondary or High school education. The claim for free university education must be subsidiary to the other two, and the Government could not be expected to grant the same facilities for free university education as it grants for primary and secondary education.”