146 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE.—1917. 
to observe that the recommendations which follow must inevitably, 
unless modified, tend in the opposite direction, By limiting the 
Government scholarships to pupils from grant-earning schools, the 
Consultative Committee’s proposals would seriously reduce the field of 
competition, lower in quantity and quality the supply of well-trained 
students, and increase the difficulty of following a scientific career which 
now faces the sons and daughters of the poorer professional men. It 
would be wiser to leave these scholarships open to pupils from all 
inspected schools, and to utilise the Second School examination of 
Circular 849 as one avenue to a Government scholarship. The Board’s 
preposals for the Second Examination accord well with the principle 
of giving considerable latitude to school and candidate ; if the school is 
inspected, there should be no hesitation on the part of Universities in 
approving the free play to the individuality of the teacher which is 
implied. 
The Application of the Principle of Decentralisation to the First School 
Examination. 
Objections have been urged against the adoption of decentralisa- 
tion—i.e. of examining each school on its own curriculum and sylla- 
buses. The main are (1) inequality of syllabuses, (2) inequality of 
question-papers, (3) increased expense. 
With reference to (1) and (2), it should be observed that the certifi- 
cate will not be merely a record of a certain performance in the 
examination-room; it will guarantee a course of training in an inspected 
school. Moreover, it should be possible to obtain standards which can 
be equated by utilising the judgment of experienced, trained examiners. 
If the ground covered according to the syllabus is restricted, the 
examiners should reduce or omit the opportunity of selecting questions. 
They should also be empowered to determine (within reasonable limits) 
the minima for a ‘ Pass’ and a ‘ Pass with Credit.’ 
As regards expense, it is to be observed that the University of 
London has successfully conducted school examinations on the decen- 
tralised plan for several years. Science has formed an important part 
of these examinations in all three grades, Higher, Senior, and Junior. 
Even when the policy has been pushed to the extreme limit of a separate 
question-paper for each school, fhe cost has not proved prohibitive. 
The present Committee is, however, of opinion that it will be found in 
practice that school syllabuses fall into certain groups, and that 
question-papers can be readily framed for all schools in a group. Thus 
a paper of twelve questions might ask for eight to be attempted, and 
include eight questions directly on the syllabus of each school in the 
group. While considering the difference in cost between such a plan 
and that of a central question-paper for all schools, it is necessary also 
to reflect upon the great influence which the questions have upon all 
the teaching in the schools, as well as upon the success of the candi- 
dates. Central examinations should not be adopted for administrative 
convenience, nor to coerce instruction into grooves favoured by members 
of examining hodies, 
