• Parents & children suffering from anxiety, stress, & depression due to the latest exam fraud debacle
• Teachers’ unions lay the blame squarely with the Exams Dept. for both alleged negligence & corruption 

The controversy surrounding the 2024 Grade Five Scholarship Examination has left both students and parents across the country in a state of anxiety. Concerns have mounted following the alleged leakage of several questions, eventually causing delays in the entire process including the paper marking activities. 

While the Education Ministry has announced plans to delay the evaluation of the papers until investigations conducted by the Department of Examinations and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) are complete, parents and teachers worry that this prolonged process will be unfair to the students. Many children, who initially felt relief after completing the exam, according to parents, are now burdened with the fear of potentially having to retake it.

The Scholarship Exam was held on 15 September at 2,849 examination centres islandwide. A total of 323,879 students appeared for the examination of which the results are expected to be released in about 40 days. Immediately after the examination, it was reported that the related question paper had been shared on social media platforms in the form of a model question paper by a tutor in the Alawwa area. The Department and the CID have commenced investigations into the incident, and a planning director of the National Institute of Education (NIE) was recently arrested by the CID and subsequently placed in remand custody over the incident. The Ministry has halted the commencement of the paper-marking activities until the investigations are over.

Maheshika Prasangani, a resident of the Pallebedda area, shared her experience regarding her child who sat for the Scholarship Examination this year. She explained that while the pressure that weighed on both the child and them as parents for several years eased once the exam was over, a new kind of stress has now emerged. 

“The roads in our area are so poorly developed that it's nearly impossible to travel without a vehicle. My husband had to take a few months off from work just to ensure that our child could attend tuition classes and extra classes at school. This situation put immense pressure on my child as well as us for a long time. Our child had to juggle various homework activities and we as parents were also involved in helping her manage it all.” 

She added that on the day the exam ended, they felt a sense of relief, but that it was short-lived. Just two days later, Prasangani said that the pressure began to mount again, adding that her child, who came home after the exam in a cheerful mood, spending time playing and relaxing, has now become disappointed due to the issues that have arisen concerning the exam, and in fear of having to retake it. “The Government should decide whether to hold the exam again, or to commence the paper-marking activities. When they're on the fence, it is our children who will be depressed.”

In an attempt to prevent the question papers used in exams from being leaked, the Ministry recently announced plans to create a bank of questions for each exam, aligning with future education reforms. Speaking to The Daily Morning regarding their plan to overcome the issue, Secretary to the Ministry Thilaka Jayasundara said that there is a plan in place to prevent such incidents in the future. 

“We have planned to create a question bank to be used in each exam. The necessary arrangements are being made now. It won't happen overnight, but everything will be done in line with the education sector reforms,” she said. 

She also criticised the alleged attempts by certain parties to politicise exam related issues while the Ministry and the Department are properly investigating the incidents in question. “These students are in Grade Five. How stressful it is for them to sit for the Exam again. The parents must understand it and act. We are trying to solve this issue in a way that the students won't have to appear for the exam again. All we need is to serve justice to the students,” she went on to say.

Dilrukshi Walpola is a resident of Homagama, and her son had appeared for the 2023 General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (O/L) Exam in 2023. She mentioned that a problem arose due to the leakage of the English question paper in that exam as well, and charged that the Department is responsible for each such incident. 

“Whenever an irregularity like this occurs for the first time, there should be a thorough investigation to determine how it happened and prevent it from happening again, but, if the same issue occurs repeatedly, it clearly points to negligence on the part of the authorities, in this case, the Department. Question paper leaks have now become a recurring issue, happening in nearly every exam. Yet, we haven't seen any actions taken regarding these incidents and individuals who are responsible for such,” she said. 

Referring to the accusations made by parents of students who sat for the Scholarship Exam this year – that the Department has taken the leakage of the question paper lightly – she claimed that such implies that the Department has failed to do both the tasks of preventing such incidents and at the very least, paying enough attention to them after such an incident occurs.

The recent announcement by the Ministry that the evaluation of Scholarship Exam papers will be delayed pending investigations into the leakage of the question paper has also sparked discussion. Speaking to The Daily Morning, Ceylon Teachers Union President Priyantha Fernando claimed that the investigations by the Department and the CID are progressing far too slowly, adding that this delay could result in injustice to the students. 

“We are also of the view that proper steps should only be taken after a thorough investigation. But, these investigations need to proceed much faster. As it stands, the process is moving at a snail's pace. This way, we don't know how long it will take to commence paper marking,” he said. 

He further alleged that the Investigation Unit of the Department had recorded statements from over 40 individuals, including school principals, Government school teachers, and tutors, regarding the alleged question paper leak, but that no preliminary actions have been taken against them. Fernando further pointed out that for the past eight years, irregularities have been occurring in connection with mainstream examinations, yet no substantial action has been taken to address them. 

“In several of these cases, certain principals, teachers, and tutors, and even officials within the Department itself have been accused. However, no action has been implemented so far. The only action of note that has been taken has been against a minor employee within the Department,” he went on to say.

 He also claimed that the Department has now become a corrupt Government institution. “Despite us raising these concerns to the relevant authorities, including the subject ministers throughout the past, nothing has been done to rectify the situation.” Noting that current laws allow for the filing of criminal charges against individuals involved in these incidents, he said that the Department and the CID must not only investigate, but also bring those responsible to justice. In addition, he called for a complete restructuring of the Department, urging that without doing so, the integrity of the education system would continue to be undermined by corruption and negligence.

In response to allegations that the related CID investigations are slow, Police Media Spokesperson and Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Nihal Thalduwa refuted such claims, stating that investigations are ongoing and that actions have been taken on every complaint received regarding exam related irregularities under the Public Examinations Act, No. 25 of 1968. 

“It's a lie to say that the Police and the CID haven't acted. We've brought many individuals to court for every complaint we've received, and in connection with this particular incident, one arrest has already been made,” he said. 

He also emphasised that if anyone has information, they are welcome to testify before the CID, making it easier for them (CID) to carry out investigations. “The complaint regarding this case was received on 19 September, and we have already arrested one suspect. The next suspect has been identified but is currently in hiding, and he too will be arrested soon,” he added, assuring that the full investigation would be completed as quickly as possible. 

Thalduwa also called on examination staff to be vigilant during exams to prevent such incidents from occurring. “While conducting the exams, the staff should work to prevent these kinds of situations. There's no point in blaming us after it has happened. We are conducting our investigations as required,” he concluded.

Sanjeewa Pradeep, a father whose child took the said exam this year, speaking to The Daily Morning, opposed a group of parents protesting near the Department recently, demanding that the exam be re-held. He said: “No matter what my child’s results are, I won’t make her sit for the exam again just because officials failed to organise it properly. These children go through immense pressure to prepare. Why should they suffer for mistakes that are no fault of their own?” He urged the authorities to find an alternative solution that would not force the children to retake the test, ensuring fairness for all without making them endure the stress again.