Over 500,000 sit GCE O/L exam

by Ananda KANNANGARA

Over 200 physically and semi-mentally handicapped candidates and a batch of nearly 100 blind students will sit for the GCE (OL) Examination, currently being held islandwide, the Examination Department said yesterday.

Examination Commissioner General Anura Edirisinghe told the

Sunday Observer that approximately 405,257 school candidates and 5,017 private candidates will sit the Examination under the new syllabus, and 7375 school candidates and 127,483 private candidates under the old syllabus.

He said nearly 57 examination centres were also established with the help of security personnel in the Northern Welfare camps to facilitate the children of Internally Displaced Persons.

"We also opened an examination centre at the Borella Magazine Prison for the benefit of a few young prisoners who are serving jail terms for lesser offences," he said.

He said these prisoners are given the opportunity to continue their education under a special rehabilitation program, initiated by the Prison Department.

According to a senior security official over 4,000 police and Army personnel have been deployed at examination centres islandwide to provide tight security for students.