REFORMS NEEDED.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20331, 14 June 1934, Page 14

REFORMS NEEDED.

Educational Requirements

Criticised,

In his report to the Rangiora High School Board on Tuesday evening, the principal, Mr J. E. Strachan. stated that the Education Department nad this j'ear inaugurated a school certificate examination. In effect, this was the matriculation examination with a wider choice of subjects. The department hoped that the commercial world would accept this certificate as proof of educational attainments equal to those who pass matriculation This year only one candidate offered to sit for the examination, and he found that in other schools there was the same reluctance to take the new examination. Partly, this was due to the fact that most “ eligibles ” had been preparing for matriculation but mostly he thought it was due to doubts as to the “ job-earning ” worth of the certificate. In effect, the university authorities were still in a position to dictate to the ,-econdarv schools the conditions to be fulfilled In preparing not only candidates for entrance to the university but candidates for entrance to business and other appointments, and the Education Department was weak enougn to allow them to do so.

Employers asked for matriculation under the impression that it indicated a good general standard of education It was nothing of the sort and neither was the school certificate. There was no certificate indicating a good general standard of education, and there appeared little likelihood of one being prqyided, .Without an enlightened

popular demand for such a thing the evil was likely to remain. The Education Department either did not appreciate the need or was not strong enough to initiate the reform.