Submitted by admin on April 22, 2009 - 22:59
The Second World War and Aftermath
A long period of legislative holiday was interrupted only by an amendment in 1944 to permit the Senate to relax its statutes to give concessions to students whose studies were interrupted by service overseas in the Second World War. But the war had other effects — direct and indirect. Many departments were able to make contributions to the total war effort in research and technology, and many graduates and others were thus employed. Then, in the very thorough work of rehabilitation undertaken by the Government, lecture rooms and laboratories were filled with adult full-time students, and temporary and makeshift buildings were strewn round every college. Some institutions were fortunate enough to get some additions of a permanent nature; but, while the climate of opinion was favourable to expansion to meet needs that were recognised as not just a passing phase, the commitment of building materials and labour to meet all manner of urgent public needs was so great that the universities had to wait.
At this time, too, the financial position of the University began to improve steadily, thanks mainly to the increased numbers paying examination fees with benefit to the Scholarship Capital Account.