Dear Sir,—The efficiency of the teaching at this university is a subject people do not seem to question. The absence of criticism is most notable. It is not that people tend to be uncritical, for matters of foreign policy and the merits of the latest models of motor-cars seem to be a constant source of heated argument; is it then that we consider education a privilege and would not therefore look this gift-horse in the mouth? Such an attitude would, of course, be inconsistent with the spirit of enquiry.

We have a purpose here, we work towards a goal. We hope that our effort! here will in some way equip us for the various tasks that lie head.

After every single lecture, tutorial, we should be able to assess the ground covered towards this goal. Attending lectures merely because a 70 per cent. attendance is required for terms is waste of time which could probably be used more profitably otherwise.

We have a fair selection of books available to us, containing almost all the information we are likely to require; it is no longer the duty of the lecturer to provide us with all the factual information, it is the key to its unsorted mass that he should provide.

Classes too big?

Thus we must consider the question—Are we not having too many lectures in classes that are too big? Would it not be better to have a lecture once a week or once a fortnight in some subjects and use the two or more hours thus freed for intensive preparation for that one lecture.

Then again arc we not endeavouring to cover too wide a field in some subjects inadequately? We must bear in mind that the spread of education opened up by the university to students who hitherto would never have had the opportunity to attend it. Naturally many of this class of students are inferior in ability to the few who against greater odds found their way to higher education previously, through their superior talents.

Therefore now the span of ability is greater and it is unfair to expect the average student of today to attain the level of the students of the past selected from the very best.

Would it not be preferable to endow students with a real understanding of their subjects through a limited sphere than to scan vast fields which even the most erudite scholars could scarcely fathom within such a limited period? These are some of the points that come to my mind after a lecture which was quite beyond me, and thus from my point of view quite futile.

If these lines get others to reflect upon the teaching they receive they have achieved their purpose!