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Urgent need to review Grade 5 Scholarship Examination system
View(s):Arriving at a National Consensus (NC) on any subject has always posed a problem to successive Governments. Currently, the Constitutional Reform process provides an example of the divisive nature of our polity, where agreement on core national issues is difficult to reach, sometimes due to genuine differences of opinion and sometimes due to political reasons.
However, the irony of this situation is that, even when there is, in fact, NC on a matter, translating such consensus into concrete action is riddled with difficulties. The most recent example of such a situation is the one relating to the abolition of the Executive Presidency (EP).
In 2014, when the late Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera was leading the campaign to abolish the EP, he drew attention to the existence of an NC on the subject, with the SLFP, the UNP and the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa all having publicly stated positions of being opposed to the EP.
The Ven. monk repeatedly asked President Rajapaksa to take steps to implement the NC and that, if this was done, he would end the campaign spearheaded by the National Movement for Social Justice. However, this did not happen and the January 2015 Elections were fought on the platform of the abolition of the EP.
Today, the NC that existed at the time of the January 2015 Elections has eroded, with the President remaining tight lipped on the issue and the Joint Opposition raising objections on various counts. Meanwhile, all 3 political formations are putting forward different names as potential Presidential candidates.
Another area where successive Governments have failed to implement a virtual NC is in Education. Almost all educationa experts and political parties are agreed on the need to do away with the Grade 5 Scholarship exams (G5SE). Such a consensus has never been implemented. At different times, different Ministers of Education have made pronouncements of their intention to do away with the highly competitive system, but never got down to doing so.
The main objectives of the G5SE are to provide a monthly stipend for those who pass the exam as well as to pave the way for entry into the so called privileged Schools.
This ensures increased opportunity for gifted children to avail themselves of the facilities that exist in the better Schools, but not available in the Schools where the children pursued their Primary Education.
File photo shows a G5SE examination centre.
It is self evident, therefore, that one of the compelling reasons for the G5SE to be pursued with such vigour by parents, is the disparity in the standards of Schools.
The primary concern of those who have an adverse opinion with regard to the G5SE is the intense pressure that the Grade 5 students are subjected to in the run up to the exam. Parents often, are behind their children to perform exceptionally and, as a result, send their children to extra tuition classes, while the Schools themselves conduct special classes with a view to producing good results at the exam.
The bulk of the children who sit for these exams do not have a ghost of a chance of entering the top Schools. Some of them are already in good Schools and there is no real need for them to sit for this exam. The number of positions available in the top Schools is a minute fraction of the number of students who aspire to get into such Schools. Yet, all the students who present themselves for the exams, absorb the pressure that comes from the hype about the exam.
According to reports, over 350,000 students sat the exam in 2017. Yet, it is doubtful whether even 50,000 students succeeded in their attempts to find better Schools, based on their results. In the pursuit of the high standard required to succeed, these children lose a considerable part of their childhood and cannot enjoy the joys of School life, which earlier generations enjoyed.
The relocation of students, based on the Scholarship exam, has also had an impact on the successful student’s personality. For instance, a student from a rural area, who succeeds in obtaining entry to a leading School in Colombo, has to face several changes in his/her life. At the age of 11+ years, he/she has to be separated from the comfort and security of his/her home and the emotional support resulting from direct parental care, and take lodging in a hostel.
He/she will also have to grapple with the differences in the culture and outlook of the students in the urban School. Not all students succeed in doing so, and those who manage such challenges sometimes have their personalities adversely affected.
Several years ago, a student from a small School in Colombo 3 situated behind Temple Trees, succeeded in entering Royal College, based on his performance at the G5SE. After struggling to cope with the environment at Royal for several months, he decided to return to his former School.
The benefit of being in privileged Schools is not only to pursue academic Kexcellence, but also to avail oneself of and participate in the range of co-curricular and extracurricular activities that such Schools provide. But, most Grade 5 Scholars do not benefit from such facilities, as they continue with the mindset developed during the preparation for the G5SE, and mostly confine themselves to academic pursuits.
Apart from the pressure on the students, as a result of the legitimate aspirations of parents to better the prospects of their children in their later lives, there is also State and social pressure which contributes to a distorted view of what is best for the child. Often, one Keep finds various State Institutions and Social Organisations felicitating the Grade 5 Scholars, thus imprinting on the young minds the notion that success at the G5SE is essential to educational success in the future.
The G5SE also serves to perpetuate the disparity in the educational system in the country. The cream of students from the less privileged Schools are absorbed by the larger Schools such as Royal, Visakha, Ananda. Nalanda, DS Senanayake, Devi Balika and so on. When the GCE Ordinary Level and Advanced Level Exam results are announced, these Schools come out on top, with a substantial contribution from the Grade 5 Scholars.
The feeder Schools which nurtured and produced the Grade 5 Scholars remain at the same level, and have very little chance of building a name for themselves. As a result, the rush for admission to popular Schools continues and the disparities in the educational system remain. In such a context, the goal of “Langama Pasala Hondama Pasala” will be hard to achieve.
While there is a clear need to review the G5SE Scheme and address the negative fallout of such a programme, it is essential that the laudable goal of ensuring equal opportunities in education to all should not be lost sight of. The Government needs to appoint a Committee of Education Experts to examine the whole issue and recommend innovative ways of achieving the objectives of the G5SE, without subjecting students to undue pressure. Above all, there is a dire need to narrow the disparities in the education system and make the concept of Free Education meaningful.
(javidyusuf@gmail.com)