As part of the reforms spree that Sri Lanka has embarked on, the authorities have paid attention to all crucial sectors, with education being one of the key ones. While the past few months saw a number of conventional reform plans for the sector, including introducing new subjects and amending existing curricula, the education authorities are now focusing on not only what could be improved but also rectifying the aspects of the education sector that have gone wrong.

Thus far, reform discussions revolving around examinations focused largely on abolishing the Grade Five Scholarship Examination and the exam-centric skills and knowledge evaluation system. Now, the number of years that a student must spend in order to study and sit for exams such as the Ordinary Level (O/L) and Advanced Level (A/L) examinations has also attracted attention. As The Daily Morning reported, the education and higher education authorities are seeking to hold the O/L examination in Grade 10, in a bid to allow students to complete their school-based examinations and start pursuing higher education earlier. Noting that there was a time when the O/L examination was held in Grade 10 before it was shifted to Grade 11, Education Minister attorney Dr. Susil Premajayantha recently pointed out the importance of this matter.

The authorities are yet to arrive at a final decision in this regard. However, this long-overdue proposal which aims to correct a historic mistake should not be delayed, because it has a number of benefits for students as well as the country.

For schoolchildren, reducing the number of years they have to spend in classrooms to sit for the O/L exam by even a year will make a considerable difference, especially in terms of study pressure, examination-related competition, and the cost of education. Giving them more time to decide and prepare for higher education is another benefit, because higher education qualifications have, in recent years, become a necessity to build a decent career path.

The country’s economic situation also plays a key role in this discussion. Owing to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and the prevailing economic crisis, continuing to provide school education for 13 years has become a challenge to the Government while providing the resources for children to obtain school education for 13 years has become a challenge to parents. In this context, taking measures to ease the economic burden of mandatory school education borne by the country and parents is a need of the hour. The education sector-related economic burden has another aspect that has more to do with the country’s overall production and economic revival than expenses. In addition, children, as the country’s next generation, will have to take a large share of the responsibility of reviving the economy in the foreseeable future. Therefore, supporting them to enter higher education and become a part of the country’s workforce, which is one of the objectives of the said proposal, is a welcome move.

Going forward, the relevant school curriculum should also change in line with the reduced time period. Education authorities cannot expect an O/L student to study for the examination until Grade 10 and be proficient in the subjects that are currently being taught in Grade 11 for the O/L examination as well.

At the same time, the necessary changes for the A/L examination, especially the need to abolish the system that requires students to memorise what they have studied over two years, should not be delayed. Although recent education sector reforms aimed at introducing more technology-related subjects to the A/L curricula, there are a number of humanities-related subjects that the authorities can consider adding to the A/L curricula that would improve the scope of A/L students’ knowledge when they pass out and consider higher education or career options.