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Admissions to A/L: Cabinet to decide next week
View(s):The Cabinet will next week decide whether a decision by the Education Ministry not to admit students from international schools to public schools should remain. Education Ministry Secretary Anura Dissanayake said the Cabinet would take up a report by the Education Minister on his decision not to admit international school students to follow GCE Advanced level classes in public schools.
“Two weeks ago the Cabinet of Ministers expressed different opinions on this issue. They requested a report from Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena giving reasons for his move,” the secretary said. He said the Education Ministry believed that students of international schools should not be granted admission to public schools as they would then be taking the place of underprivileged students.
Mr. Dissanayake said there was already severe competition among students who were going to public schools to get into public schools that offered G.C.E. Advanced Level (A/L) classes in the English medium and more competition would be detrimental to all. At present, nearly 300 students who completed the G.C.E Ordinary Level (O/L) examination in international schools are seeking admission to G.C.E Advanced Level (A/L) classes in public schools on the basis that their future would be otherwise uncertain.
They said the ministry had not responded to their appeals to be admitted to public schools, though the A/L classes were scheduled to begin next week.