TESTS IN PROFICIENCY

Taranaki Daily News, 10 December 1931, Page 9

TESTS IN PROFICIENCY

POSITION IN TARANAKI DISTRICT. ASSURANCE FROM INSPECTOR No child had been refused a free place on the result of the newly-instituted proficiency tests alone, stated Mr. N. R. ' McKenzie at the meeting of the Taranaki Education Board at New Plymouth yesterday. On the latest instructions there was no difference between the conditions in this year and former years. “Thdre have been many wild statements about the number of failures there would be this year,” said the chairman of the board (Mr. S. G.- Smith, M.P.). The circular instruction to inspectors read: “The aim should be to award certificates to all candidates who have proved by the quality of the work . . . that they have reached a sufficiently high standard to merit the award of a certificate • " land the Hon. R. Masters (Minister of Education) had said he thought it desirable, after a number of years in which the accrediting system had been in force, to -test the effect of its application -by requiring all pupils to sit for the examination. / It had been understood at first; said Mr. A. Lees, that* every child had to sit and that. certificates depended on the examination alone. ; . ■■ / Mr. P. J. H. White added that there had been a godd deal of grave fear by the general public and secondary, school teachers that the examination would be used to block a large number of children from obtaining secondary education. It seemed that two types of proficiency certificates were necessary, one for entrance to secondary schools and the other for pupils who desired it as the starting point for one of the many oct cupations .for which employers demanded it.

Mr. Lees said a grea' deal of the trouble was due to the fact that the examination was brought on. without notice.

On the motion of Dr. W. M. Thom 4 son the board decided to protest against the introduction of ill-considered regulations at the end of the year. Late last year the new training college entrance examination had been created; They seemed to have something like it every year. The board would ask the Minister for 12 months’ notice of any such amendments.

He had heard complaints that the grammar and arithmetic papers had been unduly difficult, said Dr. Thomson, partly out of the syllabus, and set according to old methods’ of teaching, while the marking of the spelling was thought to be very severe. Mr. McKenzie mentioned that any child over 14 could obtain secondary instruction without a proficiency certificate if the course to be taken was approved by the senior inspector.