Year five students to receive certificates

From this year onwards the education ministry will issue certificates to all students who obtain pass mark at the Grade Five scholarship Examination. Minister of Education Bandula Gunawardena has instructed the Examinations Department to hand over the certificates to the
students along with the results.

The Minister has advised the Examinations Commissioner General to take into account students who had obtained more than 70 marks for both papers as having passed the examination. The Minister said candidates who face an examination had the right to know their marks and also whether they had secured a pass.

The Minister pointed out that only the cut off marks were released to schools so far for the admission of students to popular schools
throughout the country and only a limited number of students were admitted to these well –facilitated schools based on the cut-off
marks.

“In society, students who score less than the cut-off point are considered as failed. It is not the correct thing to do. Students who obtain more than 70 marks out of the total 200 should be considered as passed. We will give them certificates this time. Otherwise, it
affects students psychologically. We have also noticed how parents find faults with their children when they fall below the cut-off point,” he said.

Asked whether there would be a change in the system to admit children to popular schools, he said that it would be done in the same way
based on cut –off marks. This time, around 314,000 students did the Examination.

Educationists and university professors have pointed out this matter at the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Education Ministry.