Over 295,000 students to sit AL exam this year

Ex-LTTE cadres among students:

By Manjula FERNANDO

A record number of 295,000 private and school candidates including 302 ex-LTTE cadres will sit for the GCE Advanced Level Examination this year which will begin on August 8.

"This is 50,000 more students than last year," Examinations Commissioner Anura Edirisinghe said, attributing the higher number of candidates mainly to restoration of peace in conflict battered areas in the North and the East.

There were only 242,000 private and school candidates for the AL exam last year.

"Students in areas like Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu are now free to study and sit for national exams after the end of the conflict. The villages have been rebuilt and the State schools have been reactivated. There is a heightened enthusiasm from parents to send their children to schools and children to attend school.

There is no LTTE to proscribe children now. The children of this age group are free to study," the Commissioner General said.

He said at the 2008 GCE ordinary examination, over 57% candidates qualified to study AL.

This could be the other reason for a higher number of candidates at the AL exam this year. He said generally 49-50% of OL candidates qualify to proceed to GCE AL studies.

Arrangements

The Examinations Department has made arrangements to hold two separate exams for old syllabus students/repeat students and freshers who will be sitting for the exam for the first time under the new syllabus.

The exam will be held in 2,400 centres. Two special exam centres will operate in Kalutara prison and Magazine prison in Rajagiriya for inmates and another special centre will be set up at the rehabilitation camp in Vavuniya for former LTTE cadres. In addition there are two centres in Tangalle for blind candidates and at the Ratmalana Blind School for blind and special needs candidates.

The Commissioner General said strict measures are in place to protect question papers and ensure there will be no malpractices such as pilfering of papers before the exam is held.

There are permanent police units and mobile units manning the exam coordinating and collection centres, he said.

The Department maintains 33 regional collecting centres and 250 collecting centres islandwide. "No unauthorized person will be allowed near question papers.

The question paper parcels will be allowed to be opened one hour before the commencement of the exam," he said.

For the exam centres set up in Northern and Eastern islands, Kinniya, Delft, Annalathivu, etc. the question papers will be transported on a daily basis.

The Navy and the Air Force will send in troops, boats and helicopters to assist in this task. There will also be an emergency response team to take over in an instance of a situation such as bad weather or floods.

The Commissioner General said he held a meeting with senior forces and police personnel last week at the Examinations Department in Pelawatte, Battaramulla.

The Department will adhere to strict guidelines and security measures to minimize exam cheating and the Exams Chief said the candidates who breach the regulations will be dealt with severely.

"I will not hesitate to impose the maximum punishment on cheating candidates. That will be 5 years suspension from sitting another national level exam."

He said the candidates will be allowed inside the exam centres after a thorough search. No mobile phones, calculators, or similar equipment will be allowed inside. A black or a blue pen, the admission card and the national ID will be the only items that will be allowed to be taken in.

Only the national ID or the passport will be recognized as valid identification papers. "We have notified this to school as well as private candidates well ahead", the Examinations Commissioner General said.

Supervisors

There will be 40,000 school teachers appointed for exam duty. Their appointment letters will be handed over within the next few days.

The non academic exam crew add up to 37,000 including 2,500 exam centre supervisors and another 2,500 additional supervisors.

The evaluation of answer scripts headed by university lecturers and professors is scheduled to commence three or four weeks into the exam.

The Exams Chief who spoke to the Sunday Observer before the university lecturers trade union action was called off on Thursday evening said, the university lecturers and professors on GCE AL exam duty, numbering nearly 150 have never informed him in person that they were going to boycott the exam.

"In fact, when the teachers went on a trade union action once, it was the university lecturers who volunteered to substitute for them to ensure the examination work is not disrupted. "

He said long before their trade union action, the team of university lecturers who are on exam duty, entered into an agreement with the Exams Department concerning their taking part in preparations of the GCE Advanced Level papers and the marking scheme.

In accordance, they are under obligation to complete the papers for the all 64 subjects and moderate them. If required, the papers will be translated by them.

When the papers are formulated, they compile the answer scripts as well as the basic marking criteria.

He said this has already been done and 95 per cent of the printing of the AL papers is now complete.

During the subsequent evaluation process, the evaluation board heads who are involved in setting the marking scheme have to get together to finalize the marking scheme.

The members of the panel of setters and senior subject teachers who have been taking part in evaluating the papers for many years, meet and discuss at this meeting. This meeting is to take place within this week.