Technology stream for GCE AL introduced in June 2013:

Simplified Grade Five Scholarship examination:

Education Minister debunks Colombo school myth

by Manjula Fernando

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Background for recommendations

* Grade 5 examination has created age-inappropriate fierce competition among children

* Stress levels and depression among children alarming

* Contributes to social depression

There is a connection between the Grade Five examination and physical abuse of children

Source: NEC

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Key NEC recommendations

* Grade 5 scholarship examination should involve a single paper of one hour duration.

* The examination must be held along with the third term test, Instead of in August

* The paper must contain questions within the Grade 5 syllabus

*The examination must be held under the new format in 2014 and 2015. From 2016 a further evaluation will be made by the NEC on the need to continue the examination. By 2016 under the Mahindodaya secondary school development project funded by the ADB 1000 schools islandwide will be modernised to the standard of popular schools.

* The objective of the examination should be to evaluate the competency of a child between 9-11 years. (the guidelines have been issued)

Source: NEC

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Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena denied allegations that there was a move by the Education Ministry to scrap the Grade 5 scholarship examination. He said the move was to simplify the examination and recommendations were made after a thorough evaluation of opinions expressed by reputed medical consultants, child experts and other officials.

The Sunday Observer met Minister Gunawardena on the controversial issue of Grade 5 scholarship examination last week.

Q: The campaign calling to retain the Grade 5 scholarship examinations in its current form seems to be stronger than the campaign calling for a change in the format. What is the reason for this ?

A: Many called for or spoke in favour of abolishing the Grade 5 scholarship examination which has been held for many years. Consultant Doctors, Psychiatrists, Child and Women's Bureau of the Police, Child Protection Authority, intellectuals and educationists pointed out the gravity of the damage it was causing and how pressure exerted by teachers and parents pushed children into becoming self-centred adults or mentally unsound individuals.

They were of the view that this was an unnecessary burden on young children and that their childhood has been robbed by an outrageously competitive examination.

Taking these concerns into consideration we launched a process to rectify this flaw. The first step was the appointment of a Parliamentary Advisory Committee to seek the opinion of different stake holders.

Following their report the National Education Commission (NEC) was entrusted with making recommendations regarding the Grade 5 scholarship examination with a view to taking off the burden on children.

However, unfortunately people driven by political ambitions made this issue a bridge to win over the people and further their selfish campaigns. They trumpeted that the Grade 5 scholarship examination was a right of children. This 'invented' public opinion was given wings and the program launched by the Education Ministry with good intentions has been ‘demonised'.

Q:If you had to risk your political career to take the right decision for the children would you do that?

A: Yes I will have to do that. It is a good thing that now a broad discussion on the positive and negative side of the Grade five scholarship has been created.

Last Wednesday, the Chairman of the Child Protection Authority, Anoma Dissanayake rang me. She said as the person entrusted with the protection of the country's children, I think simplifying the Grade Five examination paper is the best decision taken by the Education Ministry in the interest of our children.

What we plan to do is, prepare a 60 minute or 90 minute paper for the Grade five scholarship examination based on the syllabus and teacher guides. This will be a common general paper to test the basic knowledge of the children and will, not put unbearable pressure on them or on parents.

Then there will not be a need to send children to tuition classes and there will be no need to buy extra study material. Parents need not fret or waste time and money on tuition classes.

The children of Grade 1 to 5 will have plenty of time to play and engage in children's activities.

While in school however they will have to focus on their studies.

If we evaluate children's competencies, rural children outperform children in urban schools. The reason is that they have the time and opportunity to self learn, learn through experience, activity and parental care. If they had to toil day and night, during the entirety of their childhood for an examination that is far beyond their skills and capabilities there is something wrong somewhere in the system. It was the view of experienced educationists and psychiatrists who advised us. They insisted that unless this flaw is immediately rectified, we will have a future generation who are mentally sick but will be having high qualifications.

Q: You said a Parliamentary Advisory Committee was appointed regarding this issue?

A: We heard representations from a wide section of society on the effects of this examination. The Parliamentary Advisory Committee which I chaired met over 30 times over a span of 18 months to come out with recommendations. Over 1000 eminent persons made representations before this committee. They included religious leaders, university dons, educationists, political party representatives, consultant doctors, professionals and ambassadors, etc.

We were told that this examination has robbed the Sri Lankan children of their childhood. Those who spoke against the scholarship examination cited past papers and the complex questions contained in them– these cannot be answered by parents or even educationists. They spoke at length and in detail. Their expert views and concerns framed the recommendations to simplify the examination.

A summary of the recommendations was tabled in Parliament and submitted to the Cabinet. Our aim is to draft a national education policy and a new Education Act. There was a huge media cry over the past years that the Grade Five Scholarship examination was in reality, a mother's examination and was an unbearable burden on young children in the primary years.

Q: What role did the National Education Commission(NEC) play?

A: Taking all these concerns into consideration, I sought the services of the National Education Commission to investigate and make recommendations on the scholarship exam, to advice us as to the changes required.

NEC comprises 15 eminent educationists, headed by Prof. Lakshman Jayatilleke. They submitted their report to the President. I received a copy of the report titled ‘New Amendments and Recommendations to Grade 5 Scholarship Exam” on 8. November 2013.

They have spoken to educationists, psychiatrists, doctors, sociologists, children, parents, teachers, principals, teacher trainers, zonal education directors, examination department officials, education administrators, media representatives, beneficiaries of Grade five scholarship who are now employed and those who failed the scholarship examination and were now employed. The views gathered from all these people have helped shape their recommendations.

One of the key recommendations of the NEC is that the examination must consist of a single paper of a duration of one hour. At present there are two papers. They have also suggested that the examination should be conducted along with the final term test and not separately like the GCE O/L or A/L examination. The intention is to remove the unnecessary importance given to it.

They have clearly specified that this examination under the new model should be held in 2014 and 2015 only. From 2016 the NEC is expected to make further recommendations as to the continuity of the scholarship examination. Hence my statement that there may not be a necessity to continue the examination after 2016. But the media reported it differently.

The issue of the Grade 5 scholarship examination is a good topic for petty minded politicians and the media. This is unfortunate.

If the ADB funded 1000 schools development project (Mahindodaya schools) is completed by 2016 there will be less competition for Colombo schools. The NEC has said that the new situation will be evaluated before their recommendation for the continuity of the scholarship examination beyond 2016.

Q:Do you mean to say that there was no decision to scrap the Grade 5 scholarship examination by the Education Ministry?

A: As I explained we have not taken a rash decision to abolish the Grade 5 scholarship examination. Whatever the changes made will be in accordance with the NEC recommendations. The call to abolish the scholarship examination did not originate from us, it came from child experts, the public and the media.

Currently we have 56 popular schools in the country, of which less than 25 are more popular. Our aim is to make 1000 such schools countrywide including in the North and East provinces.

In addition three selected schools within a province will be upgraded to the standard of a popular school. If parents seek to send their children to Colombo even after the development in their areas, we will continue granting popular schools to scholarship students.

Q: What will be the changes to the scholarship examination this year ?

A: The Examinations Department, NIE's advisory Board and NEC are currently discussing ways and means to take off the burden and simplify the examination in keeping with the NEC recommendations. The intention is to frame the questions within the existing Grade five syllabus.

The exam will be simplified. Nothing will be asked outside the syllabus. The cut off marks for schools will be issued like in the past and bursary will be awarded to 15,000 children. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has advised to increase the number of bursaries to 25,000 from 2016 on wards.

Q: But there is still a great demand for popular schools among parents?

A: The critics who oppose changes to scholarship exam argue that the Government is shunning the chances for the children to come to Colombo. I can't understand why children need to come to Colombo.

Their arguments are valid if the situation of rural schools are like in the 1940s, 1950s or 1970s.

If you analyse the GCE AL results by district, the top six districts were in the North and East. The Ratnapura district emerged seventh. The Colombo district with all the facilities was 15th, the Kalutara district was18th and Gampaha came 23rd.

A girl who scored 168 in the scholarship examination some years ago opted to remain in her village school, Eheliyagoda MMV. Later this girl from Moragoda, Seethawaka obtained third best results in the GCE Ordinary Level examination with nine As.

She did her Advance Level examination also from the same school and was the top scorer in the Bio stream.

If all the top scholarship scorers come to Colombo, the district must top the GCE O/L and A/L results as well. Why then this is not happening, because the change of environment has a negative impact on their performance.Rural schools have made giant strides but those driven by political agendas fail to see this.

They mislead people for their political survival. People must see beyond their phony smiles!During the insurgencies in the 1970s, youth demanded better facilities for rural schools, not to send rural students to Colombo.

Q: Has there been a proper research to find out the effect of the Grade 5 scholarship examination ?

A: I have personally collected data on the scholarship examination. We need to research the impact on the children and their lives.

It is a fact that schools in 72 PS divisions have no schools with the GCE A/L Bio stream. Only 22% of AL students pursue science subjects, 27% Commerce and a staggering 51 % Arts subjects.

Those who have done Arts and obtained 3 As could not enter university or find jobs. I have a letter written to me by a student who obtained five distinctions in the O/L and three As in the A/L seeking a labourer's job in the education sector.

There is a collection of such letters. I genuinely sympathise with these students and therefore no haphazard change will be made.

A technology stream was introduced for the GCE AL in June 2013 to overcome the discrepancy in the Arts stream. These students can study up to a university degree. It is a landmark decision. Surprisingly the media seemed not to have noticed this effort!

The discrepancies in the education system contributed to a violent society, the past insurgencies were the result of that, this is my opinion. Children were educated at ‘gun point’, they were master trained for highly stressful exams. But when it came to jobs, they failed miserably.

The youth as a result developed hatred towards teachers, governments, parents, and all.During the past insurgencies they killed many eminent intellectuals. Teachers were killed inside classrooms. To me the education system is at fault, I admit this as the Education Minister.

Q: You think the on -going development programs will reduce or minimise the current ‘cut-throat’ demand for popular schools ?

A: We have proved that already.

In the Colombo district the top eight schools, Ananda, Royal, Visakha, Devi Balika, Nalanda, Sirimavo, D.S. and Anula admitted 955 children who excelled at the scholarship examination this year.

Homagama and Matara Mahinda Rajapaksa Model schools admitted a total of 960 grade five scholarship students. The cut off mark for these two schools was 171.

Q: Could the advantage of being a Colombo school student in the job market be the draw for students to seek Colombo schools?

A: There is no advantage as such. Education Ministry Secretary and all my additional secretaries, and the other desk heads in the Ministry are not from Colombo schools. Say for instance the Director General of the National Institute of Education, other professors or academics at the NIE, none of them are from Colombo.

I am the only one holding a prestigious position at Isurupaya who has stepped into a Colombo school at least to do the GCE A/L examination. My National Schools Director is from St.Joseph's College, Anuradhapura. I think what you say is a myth.

Q: One of the major issues with the Grade 5 scholarship examination is the tuition mania. Can you issue a directive banning these tuition classes?

A: When the examination is simplified as per the directive of the NEC, there is no need for tuition classes. These tuition classes will automatically die a natural death.

Tuitions classes are in demand because, what the child learns in school now is not enough to answer the absurdly difficult scholarship examination paper. But that is going to change from this year. We will issue a model paper within this month so that students can get a feel of the new format.

The scholarship examination is to be held in November.

Therefore, teachers, children and parents have time to learn about the change.

Q: There is an allegation that some of the top popular schools did not admit children who qualified at the scholarship examination this year, that these schools were overcrowded due to children being admitted through the backdoor ?

A: These are baseless allegations. They need to substantiate those claims with facts and figures. Just making statements won't do. I have a list of national schools islandwide which admitted scholarship students.

This year we admitted the highest number of students to popular schools. I can show these figures to anyone who would challenge me.

Q: you have said if the majority in the Cabinet oppose the changes to the Grade 5 scholarship examination you will honour their decision. Does that mean the whole process to simplify the examination will be abandoned?

A: I don't think the Cabinet will oppose the recommendation to simplify the examination. Only someone who has never stepped into a school can say such a thing.

I don't think any member of the Cabinet will get in the way to a change that will benefit children, our future generation.

Pic : Chinthaka Kumarasinghe