News
Outrage over putting votes ahead of students’ future
The decision to delay the G.C.E Advanced Level (A/L) examinations because of the parliamentary elections has drawn angry reactions from students, teachers and parents. They say the examination should have gone ahead as scheduled on August 4 and the elections delayed by a week.
Dharshan Shivakumar
The exam timetable had been prepared after months of consultation in order to provide candidates with appropriate time for study, they said. Another concern is that campaign rallies and violence would disturb students travelling to schools and tuition classes.
At Jaffna Hindu College, Principal Dayananda Raja said staff as well as the 3,048 students facing exams were worried.
“This exam is a big event in a student’s life: it is the entry exam to learn at a university,” Mr. Raja said. “Every point scored at the exam counts to determine the fate of the student’s life, and because of this the government should postpone the election. An election can be held again and again but future of a child is more important because it remains throughout his life,” he said.
Udaya Ruban, a teacher at Batticaloa Maha Vidyalaya, revealed that principals and teachers in the area were preparing to stand as candidates in the election and that school studies, revision classes and tuition classes had stopped due to the unavailability of teachers.
The Principal of Anuradhapura Sucharithagamma Vidyalaya, Nishantha Siriwardena, said the change of timetable would upset most students, who had been preparing for the exam for months. “The children require a calm and tranquil environment to prepare for the exam but this year students will be forced to sit for exams in a noisy, radical and violent election period,” he said.
Lakshan Kaushalya Atukorala
The Principal of Ahangama Dharmarama Vidyalaya in Galle, E.V.G. Shiran Chamikara, suggested that schoolchildren be given extra time to reset their minds after the election to concentrate on the exam. Elections were time of distraction where rallies, loud announcements and and poll violence took away the students’ peace of mind.
He said the Election Commissioner had power to delay the election date by two weeks and hold polls after the exams.
The Principal of Kotahena Madya Maha Vidyalaya in Colombo, Dharmadasa Galabada, said he was worried about the 50 students at his school preparing for their exams in an unsettled climate.
“The A/L examinations used to be in April but were delayed till August in order to give children an opportunity to study without distractions. Now due to elections the schedule is being adjusted again, giving students a hard time,” he said.
He said the Education Department and Examinations Department spent months on the timetable to make sure that subject combinations would not clash but all the plans now had to be reshuffled at short notice, bringing the risk of complications.
Mr. Galabada pointed out that pre-election and post-election violence could occur and the authorities should guarantee the safety of students and ensure all students could sit for exams at scheduled times.
Dharshan Shivakumar a student at St Sylvester’s College, Kandy, is worried. He said he had to study some Commerce subjects again and again due to some papers starting before elections and a second paper continuing after elections. “I travel from Gampaha to Colombo to study as well as to go to classes and had everything well in focus. This is a shock to me – my plans are useless for this timetable,” said Lakshan Kaushalya Atukorala, a student at Mahanama College, Colombo. He had been hoping to be rid of the stress of his studies but the election move would now keep him studying until September.
Trade unionists also expressed displeasure at having elections interfering with a national examination. Ceylon Teachers’ Services Union General Secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe threatened to call students, parents and teachers out in protest.
He said the ruling parties, bent on collecting votes, were destroying the future of some 300,000 students sitting for exams.
The General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU), Joseph Stalin, said that as unionist and teacher he condemned the government’s action. He said many countries postponed elections in order to have examinations.
“The children are the future of the country and they must be given priority but the Education authorities and Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya have not considered this,”Mr. Stalin said.Education Ministry Secretary Upali Marasinghe said the ministry and the Elections Commissioner had no power over election plans as the President had dissolved parliament and named the election date.
He said the ministry would hold discussions with police and the Elections Commissioner to ensure that maximum security be given to students during the election period. He called on trade unionists not to spoil the students’ study time in protests.