ENTRANCE TO UNIVERSITY

Taranaki Daily News, 5 December 1930, Page 8

ENTRANCE TO UNIVERSITY

MATRICULATION EXAMINATION ORIGINAL PURPOSE CHANGED. SUGGESTION FOR NEW SYSTEM. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Steps are being taken by the Education Department, in conjunction with educationists throughout the Dominion to restrict the matrc.ulation examination to those secondary cchool pupils who intend entering upon a course of higher education at ,a university college. The proposal has been under consideration for some time and it was advanced a f- rther stage to-day when a conference was held at Wellington between senior officers of the department and representatives of the secondary and technical schools’ associations. Considerable importance is attached to this, move in educational circles as it has long been recognised that the university entrance examination, popularly knowiUas matriculation, is not serving the real purpose, for which it was instituted. Actually the examination is for those secondary school pupils who intend to enter a university college, and it is conducted by the university. Business houses have come to regard matriculation as an essential prerequisite of those youths or, girls who seek employment after they leave The majority of pupils have no intention of treating the examination as a key to university entrance; they regard it as a recommendation . for a position ili commercial -life. The alternative proposed is that those who clearly do not intend entering upon a university, career should be awarded, certificates for post-primary instruction, which includes ordinary secondary and technical work. Reference to toulay’s conference was made later by the .Director, of Education, Mr. T.‘ B. Strong, who said the department . was considering the possibility.. of establishing a certificate which would, be,awarded to pupils who h. V in their studies reached .the stand.ard of. the university entrance examination. If this certificate was introduced the department hoped that business firms would consent to recognise it, as it would really be equivalent to a pass in matriculation. After the deliberations of the conference have been considered by the senior officers recommendations "in regard to these certificates will be made to the Minister of Education.