Stalin raises issue of delays in holding two vital exams

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The government had to take immediate steps to address the issue of inordinate delays in holding GCE O/L and A/L examinations, General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) Joseph Stalin told The Island yesterday.

Stalin said that the GCE A/L exam, which should have been held in 2023, had commenced yesterday (04).The exam would go on till the end of the current month and it would take another three to four months for the results to be issued, Stalin said.

“We don’t know when the students can enroll in universities,” he said.

COVID pandemic had affected the education system of all the countries, Stalin said, adding that Sri Lanka was one of the few countries which had failed to overcome the delays caused by school closures between 2020 and 2021.

“When schools reopened, we urged the Education Ministry to hold exams as soon as possible by reducing the academic workload. “This is what many countries did. However, the ministry refused to do so. At this rate the delay in holding exams will drag on until 2025,” the unionist said.

Stalin said the government was planning to advance the GCE OL exam to Grade 10 and AL exam to Grade 12.

“However, the same government is not doing anything to address the current delay in exams. Children are doing ALs when they reach the age of 20 Because of the delays, somechildren can’t sit international exams. It’s a mess,” Stalin said.