AVERAGE AGE HIGHER

Putaruru Press, Volume XXI, Issue 1235, 19 June 1947, Page 8

AVERAGE AGE HIGHER

AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS To various causes may be ascribed the fact that the average age of incoming students to Massey Agricultural College is now much higher than during the war, or even last year. The 47 sheep-farming students enrolled this year have an average age of 19, while the 22 dairy-farmeTs average 20 years. Only six are 16 yeairs, ,to which commencing age eligibility for enrolment was reduced a few years ago. These figures refer only to “civilian” students, and take no account of the ex-servicemen undergoing courses and whose inclusion would raise the over-all average age very appreciably. The main reason for the greater age of the civilians is obviously that, under war condition®, most of them would have taken their place in the armed forces or been subject to manpower regulations. Another reason may be the greater post-war appreciation of the necessity for education, which in turn would tend to bring young men of mare mature years to the university, and leave the youths longer at secondary schools. All this year’s farming students have had, besides practical experience on farms, secondary school education for periods ranging from one to seven years.