LOWER AGE LIMIT.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20519, 22 January 1935, Page 13

LOWER AGE LIMIT.

Case of Provisional Matriculation. SENATE’S SUGGESTION. A decision which may affect many who wish to take University courses and have not passed the entrance examination (matriculation) was made at yesterday’s meeting of the University Senate, when there was long discussion of a proposal, by Mr L. J. Wild, that the minimum age for those eligible to “ provisional matriculation should be reduced from twenty-five years to twenty-one years. Mr Wild explained that provisional matriculation was introduced to meet the needs of certain returned soldiers. A conservative Senate placed the minimum age at thirty. Later the minimum age was reduced to twentyfive. There were a number of persons now, over twenty-one but under twenty-five, who had not passed the entrance examination but were suitable for University training. There were no apparent disadvantages in the proposal. Matriculation itself nowadays was practically a leaving examination for secondary schools. Form of Probation. “ I want to suggest particularly,” said Mr Wild, “ that the provisional matriculation constitutes a form ot probation. T think many of the professors would like all students to have a period of probation, matriculation or no matriculation. They are the ones in a position to judge.” The motion was seconded by Mr 11. J. D. Mahon, who said that the proposal would meet the needs of some of the W.E.A. students Professor T. A. Hunter (Vice-Chan-cellor) said he had had some experience with provisional matriculation. Twenty-one might be a better minimum age than twenty-five. The secondary schools must not be interfered with, and that was the only thing to be watched. The speaker had one student who had gone through all the work for his B.A. degree creditably, and now he had to wait till he reached the age of twenty-five, take provisional matriculation, and go through it all again. He was a country student. Finally Senate approved the motion, and decided to pass it on to the bodies concerned for consideration.