School dropouts:

Victims of current ill-fitting exam system - Commissioner General of Examinations

By Manjula Fernando

There are a lot of discussions that the current structure of examinations in State schools is outdated.

In an interview with the Sunday Observer, Commissioner General of Examinations, Anura Edirisinghe outlines his plans for the examinations sphere and proposed reforms in the sector.

Q: Any changes taking place in the near future?

A: We introduced a new syllabus in State schools in 2008. The school curriculum which centred on ‘lesson units’ earlier were replaced by competency based novel education method accepted worldwide. Schools were geared to implement it. By the end of Year 11, we have set a number of competencies that the children should possess and this was a success.

The children are encouraged to experiment and do self-learning. The new syllabus promotes new thinking inside the classroom.

However, unfortunately, the examinations were not made consistent with this new structure. The evaluation papers were not prepared to fit into this competency based model. There is a huge gap between school education and the exam paper. A three-hour test paper cannot evaluate what the students have learnt in 3-4 years, the competencies expected of him to achieve inside the classroom. This is an impossible task - not even five percent of the competencies can be evaluated in a written test.

The first thing we have to do is to change our exam system altogether. It has to go through a complete revamping. The new exam structure must combine a points based assessment component to evaluate the competencies learnt in the classroom plus a written paper. The final appraisal must be a combination of the two. This is the mark of a sound evaluation system.

The paper that is prepared by us at present is an exercise to evaluate the student’s memory. It is a failed method.

There are three features in a classroom; teaching, learning and evaluation. All these features must be consistent with bringing out the child’s competencies. So the evaluation must be done inside the classroom. This is an internationally accepted norm but we have not been able to comprehensively implement this in Sri Lanka.

Q: Is this method being applied in universities?

A: Not in all the study programs. Only in particular university study programs this is being applied successfully. But in social science courses including Political Science, History, Economics, Buddhism, this competency based evaluation system is not used.

This is the practical side.

There are certain skills that cannot be evaluated in a written examination. We need a certain method of evaluating such skills. For example, a child’s speaking or journalism skills, as well as emotional aspects, such as compassion and empathy. My opinion is that such qualities should also be promoted and evaluated during school years. This is a major area that we have unfortunately overlooked.

Howard Gardner an American developmental psychologist talks about multiple intelligences. We in Sri Lanka tend to perceive that all the children are in a single tier of intelligence and thus try to test them accordingly. This is totally wrong. The children who are good in mathematics, may not be good in arts subjects. This is a known fact but we have not done anything to rectify the flaws so far.

Such uniqueness should be distinguished by our evaluation techniques and allow children to blossom in their own geniuses. There is no program presently to help the child develop his special skills and intelligence within the classroom. We try to fit and lock them up in one small frame. The result is a mind numb adult who once used to be an intelligent, talented and skilful child full of imagination.

We must change this set up immediately.

Q: You have identified the shortcomings, what is being done to rectify them?

A: We have already begun a dialogue among ourselves. The education advisory committee headed by Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena have begun sittings on the need to bring in changes to the national evaluation process. I made submissions before the committee recently and a change is expected soon.

Nearly 300,000 children face GCE Ordinary Level Examination as a first time candidate each year. Of them only 152,000 obtain a simple pass or a higher grade for mathematics. Mathematics is the ‘gatekeeper’ to pursue GCE Advanced Level. Unless you get a simple pass at O/L there is no A/L education for you. A small percentage of the disqualified group will sit for the mathematics paper for the second time. Others become dropouts. The number of those who passe science is 149,000. Nearly 20% fail in their mother tongue and 18 % fail in their own religion at GCE O/L. Why does this happen? This is convincing evidence that children’s intelligence differ.

If we don’t change our evaluation methods soon we will be producing a large number of school dropouts, around 140,000 every year, who are victims of the current ill-fitting examination system. They become dropouts for no fault of theirs.

The entry into the society by this group of youth as failures will cause social, economic, moral and cultural problems. They become a burden to governments.

Q: You mean to say that we still use the conventional methods of evaluation and the current system must be done away with?

A: Yes, only a handful of officials who are governed by their colonial mentality will oppose this idea.

This conventional, memory and exam centred learning system in the classroom destroy the child’s potentials and skills. Therefore, we need to identify their talents and inborn skills at an early stage, perhaps as early as junior secondary, before they sit for the GCE Ordinary Level examination. It is too late if we wait till GCE A/L to do the separation.

The child shows their individual skills from as early as a fourth or fifth grader. Grade nine will be a good turning point for these children to be separated. They could focus on their individual interests and sit for a simplified science or mathematics paper at the GCE O/L exam and continue into GCE A/L with no repetitions and delays.Nevertheless, good attitudes, understanding and support by teachers and parents will be imperative in this exercise.

Q: When do you plan to implement the proposed student-friendly new examination structure?

A: The Education Minister is expected to present the recommendations of the advisory committee in the parliament mid this month. We are expecting a major decision with regard to changing the present examinations structure subsequently. In my submissions to the advisory committee, I have proposed a selection exam in Grade Nine, to select students for special study streams.

Instead of sending all the students to sit for a model exam, this will pave the way to categorize students into four or five streams. Science, Commerce, Arts and Mathematics.

The students will have the option to change their streams later on at the GCE A/L point if they wish to do so. But being able to give them specialised education as early as Grade Ten Upwards, based on their wishes and competencies will help produce a specialist in their own field. This will not happen if the separation is done after the Ordinary Level.

Q: There are rumours that the Grade Five Scholarship exam will be moved to Grade Seven?

A: No, there is no truth in that. The Grade Five Scholarship will remain the same. The main purpose of this exam is to select students for popular schools. The purpose will be lost if we shift it to Grade Seven.

Pic : Chinthaka Kumarasinghe