Years in school to complete OL, AL exams need review – Minister

Justice, Prisons and Constitutional Reforms Minister, Dr. Wijeyedasa Rajapakshe told Parliament that a recommendation would be made to hold the GCE Ordinary Level Examination in Year 10 and the G.C.E Advanced Level examination in Year 12.

The Minister said having a Year 13 was unfair to students and a waste of one year in students’ lives. Minister Dr. Wijeyedasa Rajapakshe who is also the Chairman of the Select Committee of Parliament to make suitable recommendations for the expansion of higher education opportunities in Sri Lanka said this while presenting the Committee report to the media.

He pointed out that there are 2,962 schools with less than 100 children in the school system of this country, which is 29 percent. Accordingly, he said that there are 1,439 schools with less than 50 children which is, 14 percent, and 1523 schools with 51 and 100 children, which is 15 percent.

He said that it is natural that there is a shortage of teachers because of this, as there are about eight teachers in schools where there are about 13 children.

“When there are only one or two children, we should think about the mentality of the teachers who teach those children and therefore these schools should be made into cluster schools. Former Education Minister C.W.W.Kannangara created Madhya Maha Vidyalayas and created feeder schools around them and then admitted children to Madhya Maha Vidyalaya.

The syllabus is a heavy burden to children. Children are doing oral learning. Even doctors say that children are under stress. A child of class 08-09 in a foreign country goes to school without any stress. Our children carry bags of 5 kg each. Mother has to go to school carrying a bag.

And even the country’s economy has been affected by naming schools as national and popular schools. From the day that child was conceived, the mother is trained to lie. Parents think that if the school name is popular, their children would obtain a better education. We also went to village schools. Even today teachers teach well in village schools. It is the attitude that should be changed.