• Teachers’ unions, principals, teachers & invigilators call for enforcing existing law, strict regulations/punishments 
• Stress on the need for rotation of exam duty officials, establishing paper-setting/official-selecting boards, 
• Suggest re-organising Exams Dept., updating syllabi  
• Parents allege weak cases against errant officials leading to reinstatement 

Examination-related fraud has become a growing concern in Sri Lanka’s education system, affecting not only students but also parents, teachers, and stakeholders of the entire education sector. The issue extends beyond isolated cases of fraud committed by candidates to include misconduct by officers responsible for exams. From leaking question papers and circulating them on social media to negligence by exam officers, the malpractices have triggered disruptions across various levels, leading to exam cancellations, financial burdens, and public outrage. 

While the authorities have imposed disciplinary actions on hundreds of officials and planned new reforms, including a proposed question bank, questions remain about the effectiveness of such measures. The need for stronger regulations, better monitoring, and systemic reforms is becoming increasingly evident as stakeholders call for urgent action to restore the trust in the country's examination process.

The Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) recently alleged that since 2015, disciplinary action has been taken against 439 examination staff including teachers and principals for exam related acts of misconduct while the harshest penalty thus imposed has been a lifetime ban from exam-related duties.

Examination-related fraud can be divided into two main categories: fraud committed by candidates taking exams and fraud committed by officials including teachers, principals, and teaching instructors and invigilators responsible for exam duties. Certain candidates commit fraud such as bringing small pieces of paper or handkerchiefs with notes written on them into the exam hall, impersonating other candidates, or sharing answer sheets with other candidates. On the other side, certain officials engage in malpractice by leaking question papers, providing candidates with potential questions, or circulating question papers on social media platforms. In recent times, there were several cases where officials photographed exam papers and shared them on social media, which contributed to great panic among candidates, particularly schoolchildren and their parents.

Speaking to The Daily Morning on the matter,  CTU President Priyantha Fernando, said that to stop examination fraud, the authorities must first enforce the existing laws and introduce stricter regulations and punishments for both candidates and officials involved in such. He claimed that deploying the same officials repeatedly for exam duties increases the risk of fraud. To prevent this, he recommended not assigning officials who worked on General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (GCE O/L) Exam duties to the GCE Advanced Level (A/L) Exam in the same year. He also said that the Examinations Department should follow proper procedures at every step, starting from the establishment of boards responsible for preparing question papers to selecting the officials for exam duties. "We have kept on saying that the Department has become one of the most corrupt institutions and needs immediate re-organisation. Many officials there, at various levels, are either directly involved in or assist with exam fraud. For instance, there is a retired Commissioner General of Examinations who now conducts seminars for the Grade Five Scholarship Examination and charges high fees. He is taking advantage of his former position to earn money, and such acts contribute to the spread of examination fraud. If the existing regulations are not enough to prevent such misconduct, new provisions should be introduced." he added. Fernando added that exam fraud reflects just one part of a larger crisis within the entire education system. He noted that solving this problem requires the Government, at the very least, addressing the fundamental issues in the education sector that have been identified in recent years. Among these, he said that the Government should focus on moving away from an exam-centered education system, simplifying the complicated education structure, and regularly updating the school syllabi. He charged that almost all successive Governments had shown a lack of interest in introducing such reforms, which he added has allowed many harmful practices in the education sector to become normalised over time.

Even though cases of fraud in exams conducted for schoolchildren are reported frequently, it is observed that incidents of fraud in competitive exams conducted by the Department to make recruitments for various Government and semi-Government institutions, and university-related exams are less. However, sources within the Department itself revealed that fraud does occur in such exams as well. According to sources, there have been instances where certain competitive exams had to be cancelled and re-conducted due to question paper leakages, but, since only a small number of candidates are affected, these incidents receive less public attention.

When queried by The Daily Morning as to whether the Ministry of Education has planned to introduce any programme to prevent exam fraud in the future, the Secretary to the Ministry Thilaka Jayasundara recently said that as part of proposed education reforms, a question bank will be created for mainstream exams such as the O/L and the A/L to prevent fraud, particularly paper leaks. 

However, a retired Deputy Principal who last served at a leading school in the Sri Jayawardenepura Education Zone with extensive experience as an exam invigilator, I. Wijelatha said that the preparation of a question bank would not be a success. She warned that using a fixed set of questions repeatedly over time would make those questions widely known, thus increasing the risk of exam fraud rather than reducing it.

Meanwhile, a document prepared by the department, which was seen by The Daily Morning, revealed that since 2015, 439 teachers, principals, and other officials have faced disciplinary action for involvement in exam fraud. It was observed that such fraud tends to occur more frequently in certain districts, such as Ampara in the Eastern Province, Kegalle in the Sabaragamuwa Province, and Anuradhapura in the North Central Province. Although no formal conclusions have been drawn, Fernando suggested that the limited access to subject knowledge in these areas may contribute to the relatively higher rates of fraud. If all students had equal access to education, he said that there would be less motivation to engage in or support fraud.

It has also been alleged that the Department, in certain cases, fails to provide sufficient evidence in cases involving officials accused of exam-related misconduct. 

A parent who participated in a protest outside the Ministry last month (September) held over the alleged incident of certain questions of the Grade Five Scholarship Exam question paper having been leaked, Manoj Somaweera, said that he had come to know that despite the allegations, certain officials suspended for such misconduct have often been reinstated, with the Government even paying their salary arrears. He said that having to reinstate such officials has come about due to the department's failure to establish charges against them, adding that it unfairly burdens ordinary citizens, as it is public funds that are used to pay them.

A teacher from a school in Negombo, Chathuranga Weerasekera, speaking to The Daily Morning, said that students, parents, teachers, and the Government all face inconvenience when exam-related issues arise for any reason. “If an exam is cancelled due to something like leaked question papers, it affects everyone involved. Students have to prepare and sit for the exam again, parents and teachers must support and prepare them once more, and the Government incurs substantial expenses to reschedule and conduct the exam. The impact is felt across all fronts.” he said, and added that everyone should therefore not commit fraud or seek benefits from such in relation to exams.

A teacher from another leading school commented on the role of certain officers engaged in exam duties in facilitating fraud by candidates. She said that many candidates commit fraud because some officers in charge (OIC) of exam halls fail to take their responsibilities seriously. “When officials neglect their duties, students find it easier to exploit the situation and commit fraud. Proper monitoring is important to prevent such incidents. If question papers are distributed on time, monitoring is carried out properly, and answer sheets are collected promptly, then there will be no room for fraud from the candidates' end.” She also alleged that officers' excessive sympathy toward students has contributed to the rise in fraud. “Officials sometimes abandon their duty by showing unnecessary sympathy or favouritism towards certain students, which opens the door to fraud.” Additionally, she mentioned the challenges officers often face when students make requests such as toilet breaks during exams. “There are some situations beyond our control. For example, if a student asks to use the toilet, we have to let them go. We are permitted to accompany them up to the restroom door, but, there may be cases where students hide notes or other materials inside the restroom and refer to them inside." Addressing incidents where exam officers take photos of question papers and share them on social media, she, who has been engaging in exam duties for over 20 years, said that, as per regulations, only the OIC and Assistant OIC of the exam hall are authorised to use mobile phones inside the exam hall. “Most of the officers use phones only for legitimate duties, but, there are a few others who misuse them for unethical purposes,” she said. She explained that the packages of question papers are typically opened 15 to 20 minutes before the exam begins, adding that certain officers may take photos of the papers and release them on social media during that time. However, she said that officers should act with both legal and moral responsibility to prevent such actions. Remarking on the changing nature of exam fraud, she said that in the past, fraud primarily occurred when officers granted favours to candidates based on family ties or personal friendships, but that the situation has shifted now with many engaging in such activities for financial gain. To stop fraud such as photographing question papers and circulating them on social media, she proposed that exam officers be provided with a shared mobile phone during the exam, so that everyone is aware of what is done with the use of it.