Education Minister calls for method to reduce waiting time for A/L passed students to enter universities

Education Minister G.L. Pieris said that wasting of time about one-and-a-half years for Advanced Level passed students to enter the universities due to the limited number of applications received for re-scrutinising the answer scripts after the advanced level examination must be stopped.

More logical, practical and flexible method must be followed for that purpose, he stressed.

The Minister stated these ideas while participating in a special meeting with the Commissioner General of Examinations B. Sanath Pujitha and additional commissioners of examinations at the Ministry of Education on Tuesday.

It was also discussed at this meeting that the marks obtained for the subject of General Information Technology (GIT) by the Advanced Level students at the A/L examination could be considered at the university entrance in order to popularise that subject among the students.

The Commissioner General mentioned that until the last year, there was only a written test for the subject of General Information Technology and therefore the students did not pay much attention to this subject. But since last year the students have been given the opportunity to sit for this subject including a practical test which has increased the interest of students towards this subject.

The Commissioner General further pointed out that the attention must also be drawn to the fact that the students in some schools do not have the computer facilities and the internet facilities and also to find the solutions for that challenge.

If some marks can be added to the Z score at the university entrance from the results obtained by the students for the subjects General Test Paper and the English language test, it would also be important, the Commissioner General proposed.

The Minister of Education further emphasised that the steps must be taken to prepare a testing system that the knowledge is tested in a practical and flexible approach for children while minimising the gap between the education and technology. 

The proposals and plans for that purpose should be submitted to him within the next few weeks. The assistance of the University Grants Commission can be obtained in this task and the steps must be taken to modernise the examination system in this country through a more formal and transparent methodology.

Commissioner General of Examinations B. Sanath Pujitha, the Additional Commissioner of Examinations, the senior officials of the Department of Examinations and the Private Secretary of the Ministry of Education Naleen Gamlath had joined in this occasion.