Central Education

"The first problem that faces the University." said Dr. Soper. "is that of general education. Should there be for example, in a science degree course something which would enable the graduate to see the personal and national problems of today against the background of the past and against the problems of other countries?" Dr Soper emphasised that the solution would "not come through more spoon feeding."

The increasing content of the degree courses was the second problem. Dr Soper pointed out that courses were now so full that they left little time for the relating of the individuals special fields of study to the broader background of knowledge. He proposed three solutions. Firstly, that some units be eliminated from the present degree or at least made subsidiary to the main subject of the student: secondly, to divide the degree course into a pass and honours system as in some Australian and many of the British universities; thirdly, a modification of these two, namely "those pupils from the high schools who pass at a sufficiently high level on the entrance scholarship list would be accepted for the honours degree course and be excused the four units of their first year at university. They would thus proceed immediately to stage 2 subjects, and would be required to pass all the other units required for a degree in arts or science."