will be possible for all the children of school-leaving age whh theni sort of certificate of achievement, graded according to the number of credits obtained in the C.S.E. . n It is significant that the majority of members on the arsechool-teachers, thus,ensuring that the e™^"on its^ to suit the curriculum thatit is destined to serve.TheC S.E,is essent ally asen leaving examination, while the 'A level grade of the G.C. ■ , qualification for University Entrance. The English system allows for th^^^^ level and'O'level examinations to be written piecemeal and a certificate or 'credit'. A child may thus leave school with ^"rtam numte of 'O'or 'A'level passes which have been accumulated over a period of two or even three years. 11 ,j This system, which is similar to that followed in i"ost Parts of the United States, has distinct advantages for a child who is interested solely in obtaining a school-leaving certificate. It becomesincreasingly evident that the weakness ofour jw^ system in the Republic lies in the fact that we make one examinationse^ purposes:the first that ofa school-leaving certificate and secondly a q for University Entrance. u- ♦ r f If we were to offer a school-leaving examination in which Mathematics need not be essential) at our present Std.IX i® ' „ by a further two-year pre-university course, we should not only fulhi tne nrsr requirement in providing a school-leaving certificate, but also do m .,. the gap that exists at present between Matriculation level and wdQtaae versity standard. At the same time we should reduce considerably „uii:tv among first-year university students, many of whom do not posMSS tne ao i ly and other qualities essential for a successful university the principle is accepted by the universities on the one hand and the e boards on the other, little progress will be made and we shall continue along our pedestrian way. , Now, Mr. Chairman, may I direct my remarks a litde nearer home and give some idea of what we are endeavouring to achieve at Kearsney. Our phenomenal examination successes last year are conclusive proof of what this school is capable in the academic field. With this aspect ' culum adequately safeguarded, I am particularly anxious that we more for the boys who fall short of these academic requirements, yitn an enrry of some 100 new boys each year with a 'comprehensive range O' inevitable that not all are destined to go to University. Believing asI do t^^t our school population should conform closely to a cross-section of the co y which we serve, I feel strongly that such boys still have a valuable pa t P y in the corporate life of the school. I am not so much concerned in producing intellectual snobs, as I turning out young men who possess qualities of leadership, courtesy and soun moral character and who are capable of making a positive contno""®" community in which they live. It is for such young men that there is a prws g need in this country today If we are to preserve so-called white leadership u can be only by positive example and not by restrictive legislation. In order lo survive, the best use must be made of our potential and this is nowhere more true than in the field ofeducation.In the U.K.it has been accepted that the ulti mate aim ofeducation is to train the individual to the highest levelthathis poten tial will allow. In his presendital address to the 14th Annual Assembly of the World Con federation of the Teaching Profession, held as recently as the 2nd August, lliw. Sir Ronald Gould poses the following question which accentuates the need tor a wider curriculum,not only in South Africa but in many other countries as well. "Do you assume there is but one kind of educational excellence, the academic? If you do, there is no equality of opportunity. Of course, it is 61
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