TESTS OF KNOWLEDGE

Taranaki Daily News, 4 August 1930, Page 11

TESTS OF KNOWLEDGE

VALUE OF EXAMINATIONS. DISCUSSION BY TEACHERS. Arguments in favour of the retention of the examination system, not necessarily in its present form, were. advanced in a discussion which took place at. a meeting of the Auckland Educational Association. One or two .speakers condemned examinations ( but the majority held the view that they eduld. not be abolished without undermining- the foundations of the knowledge which it was the purpose of education to impart. Mr. F. A. Garry‘presided. Professor W. "Anderson developed arguments to show the need. of external examinations. He did not think there was any serious to the matriculation system, which had been much criticised. He protested against the possibility of the university being dictated to, in regard to its requirements for degrees, by the exigencies of the teachers’ grading scheme. He referred to a tendency for an objectionable use to be made in that way of the fact that the'Education Department allowed certain grading marks to be obtained by the passing, of a university examination. He said the university would be breaking faith with the public if it gave way to any such tendency. “Examinations- as carried out in the secondary schools and the universities are a relic of the Middle Ages,” said Mr. S. Walker. “They have a great many weak points and, speaking generally, are futile. As conducted at present, they are quite inadequate in testing the ability of children or young men.” They ■ were not so much a test of intelligence as a test of endurance, he added. Many teachers who had given careful thought to the question had come to the conclusion that the present examinations in the primary schools should be done away with.

Mr. A. Beasley believed it would be perfectly safe to abandon examinations for 00 per cent, of the pupils, but for the remaining 40 per cent, examinations were essential. Employers^'’expected to have a definite mark on the ability of those they were called on to employ. Examinations provided the means of affixing that mark and until some better method was found the abolition of examinations would be unwise. Miss Edgerley said athletic games were not banned because some people were unfit to, take part in them and examinations might be regarded in much the same light. She was sure that no burden of examinations rested on either the primary or secondary schools. “You cannot get anywhere unless a sound foundation has been laid,” she added. “There is a distinct danger in encouraging children to think that if a thing is difficult it can just be dropped.” Mr. K. J. Dcllow said he had noticed a tendency among boys to-day to “shirk the hard.” Ho noticed a marked, depreciation in the foundations of knowledge with which boys were going tbxhe Grammar School. ' Accrediting already played so large a part in the primary schools that scarcely any pupils of average ability were called on to face' an external examination until they reriched matriculation,- He considered that by that time, at least, a boy should ‘bo ready to show what he was made of and how bo was likely to be fitted to face tho knocks of after-life. The Rev. H. K Archdall explained the system of leaving certificates formulated by the Registered Secondary Schools Association of New Zealand. He urged very careful consideration of the scheme by all educational authorities.- He said it would get rid of the idea that university requirements exercised too riiueh influence bn the schools, but at the same time would maintain the university standard. Miss 0. C. Foster considered that Mr. Archdall’s suggestion sounded too much like lightening up the bolts and screws of tli-i old machine. The examination' system of to-day was utterly wrong, because it regarded every child as uring up to one standard and resulted merely in sharpened intellects, releas.ed from ethical responsibility. This was a danger to society. < . ' J Miss M. Crookes supported: examinations. as an incentive to thoroughness in study and a necessary test 6f the degree of knowledge achieved. Mr. W. Airey gave general support to an amendment of the system, possibly. on lines similar to those suggested by Mr. Archdall. Mr, Garry, commenting on the evening’s discussion, said he regarded examinations as necessary, but thought reforms were needed. . A recommendation was made that the executive should arrange a further meeting after the teim holidays for the purpose of discussing aspects of the Education Committee’s recent report to Parliament.