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ON EDUCATIONAL TRAINING FOR OVERSEAS LIFE. 295 
7.—NEW SOUTH WALES. 
A memorandum on the subject of training for overseas life from the Director of 
Education for New South Wales was given in last year’s Report. 
8—THE UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
The educational authorities of South Africa have very little to offer in the way 
of advice or suggestion for the educational training of boys and girls for overseas life. 
The Secretary to the High Commissioner writes :— 
‘The Department of Public Education, Cape Town, feels that the inclusion of such 
subjects as nature study, school gardening, elementary agriculture, woodwork, 
needlework, domestic science, physiology and hygiene would materially help in 
producing a type of emigrant who would most easily be able to adapt himself to 
conditions in the Dominions. It would be desirable that the first three subjects 
and the last should be studied as far as possible in relation to the Dominion to which 
the pupils are most likely to go. Schools should also aim at giving intending or possible 
emigrants a knowledge of the geography and history of the Dominions in general and 
especially of the one selected. For those who desire to proceed to South Africa some 
instruction in Afrikaans—the South African form of Dutch spoken by a large propor- 
tion of the people—would be of great advantage.’ 
None of the other Provinces or States have any remarks to make. In a further 
communication from the Government of the Union it is stated that agriculture has 
not hitherto formed a subject of the secondary school curriculum and has only recently 
been engaging the attention of the Education Authorities with a view to its early 
introduction in the school systems. 
VIIL—THE FIRST SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION. 
The curriculum in the majority of secondary schools in England, including the 
public schools, is mainly determined by the character of the First School Certificate 
Examination or Matriculation Examination of various University Examining Boards, 
and approved by the Board of Examination. There are seven of these examining 
bodies, viz. 1. Oxford Local; 2. Cambridge Local; 3. Oxford and Cambridge 
Schools; 4. London; 5. Joint Matriculation Board of Northern Universities ; 
6. Durham; 7. Bristol. 
The examinations are intended for pupils about the age 16-17 and are very similar 
_incharacter. The subjects for the First School Certificate Examination are divided 
into four groups :— 
A.—English, history, geography, and religious instruction. 
B.—Languages—Latin, Greek, German, French, etc. 
C.—Mathematics and science (various branches). 
D.—Art, music, and other special subjects. 
This arrangement is practically common to all the examining bodies. A pass is 
required in at least one subject of each group, A, B,C. For London Joint Matricula- 
_ tion Board the candidate must pass in at least six subjects, for other Universities only 
five are required. Usually only one is allowed from Group D. The following special 
subjects, in addition to the ordinary recognised branches of science, are allowed to 
count towards the certificate :— 
Oxford Local—Hygiene, domestic science, housecraft, needlework, agriculture, 
provided physics and chemistry are offered in Group C 
Cambridge Local—Agricultural science may be offered without physics and 
chemistry as separate subjects. 
Hygiene, needlework. 
Oxford and Cambridge Schools—No special subjects are accepted other than 
the science subjects. 
London—Domestic science and general elementary science are allowed as 
alternatives to definite branches of science. 
Northern Universities—Domestic science, housecraft, needlework, agriculture. 
Durham—Domestic science and needlework. 
Bristol—Housecraft, needlework, handicraft. 4 
It is noticeable that only three Examining Boards include agriculture as a subject 
that counts towards the certificate, viz. Oxford Local, Cambridge Local, and Northern 
Universities. Handicraft is encouraged only by Bristol. Domestic science and 
