EXAMINATION FETISH

Southland Times, Issue 22215, 6 January 1934, Page 4

EXAMINATION FETISH

The report of the British Medical Research Council dealing with the growth and development of school children again emphasizes the undue importance attaching to examinations in the English educational system. The point is made that those children who, however proficient in handicraft, have not the faculty for passing examinations are classed as dull; and that however much stress is laid on the value of physical drill, music and other cultural subjects in the curriculum these are relegated to the background as soon as examinations approach. It was not stated in the cablegram whether the report commented on the effect of examinations on the physical development of girls and boys, but careful investigations made in the United States have disclosed that the strain of preparing for an examination and the ordeal of the examination itself may make serious inroads into the health of pupils. It is becoming increasingly recognized that marks and artificial rewards as stimulants to efforts are a pool’ substitute for a genuine desire to learn. The competition of the class-room may have served some useful purposes but it must also * have wrought serious harm to sensitive children who did not have the flail’ for passing examinations or for quick oral responses to questions. More understanding and enlightened administrators of education are realizing that the child’s desire to learn, his innate keenness to do well, are sufficient if teachers and parents do their part. New Zealand is not lagging behind in the practical'application of this principle, but there is still a long way to go before the domination of examinations is removed.