H—39

be necessary for teachers to have constantly before them the needs of the engineering profession. In particular the Committee would emphasize that engineering students should commence learning as early as possible to analyse the problems that they encounter and to develop ordered processes of thought in their solution. These matters will depend upon the selection of suitable teachers for this work. The Committee hopes that the diploma courses will be established in a spirit of enterprise and that classes organized in the selected technical schools will have an atmosphere of purposeful endeavour. Anything suggestive of a disconnected " cramming " in individual subjects would be fatal. Recommendations— That the Education Department institute a system of Diplomas in Professional Engineering of a standard at least equal to that of the present Institution Membership Examinations. That these diplomas be awarded in respect of courses which, though mainly part time, shall include at least one year of full-time study. That these diplomas be awarded as a result not only of examination success, but also of satisfactory completion of a course of study approved by the Education Department. That a candidate must pass at the one time in all subjects of any year before proceeding to the next year of the course. That examination-papers in all subjects be set, moderated, and marked by examiners approved by the Education Department. (3) CONDITIONS OF ENTRY TO DIPLOMA COURSES 210. The Committee considers that the minimum educational qualification necessary to establish the diploma course on a sound basis is the University Entrance Examination. This initial requirement is admittedly somewhat higher than the preliminary qualification at present demanded of applicants for Institution membership (Section 6), but the Committee has recommended in Section 11a raising of this preliminary qualification also. There is, in the Committee's opinion, no valid reason why the pre-requisite for the engineering profession should be any lower than that for other professional occupations such as accountancy, architecture, dentistry, law, medicine, and post-primary teaching. Moreover, the Committee is recommending the establishment of engineering scholarships to assist students of exceptional ability who may be following a diploma course to transfer to a degree course, if they wish to do so (Section 13 (III) of this report). It must be remembered, too, that from 1950 onwards the University Entrance Examination will have a wider range of subjects than at present. 211. The diploma courses which the Committee is recommending will be so closely linked up with the requirements of the appropriate branch of professional engineering that entry upon a course should be allowed only to students actually engaged in suitable engineering work. These classes will be established for diploma purposes only; to admit others would involve waste of effect on the part of the instructors and impair the effectiveness of the instruction. 212. In making its recommendation that the pre-requisite of a diploma course be University Entrance the Committee found it necessary to take into account the cases of older men who might not possess this qualification, but who might be anxious to embark upon a diploma course without further delay. The Committee considered admission on a provisional basis to be reasonable in such cases. The University of New Zealand grants candidates not under twenty-one years of age provisional admission to

53