For the second consecutive year, Gateway Kids School of Computing has lived up to the expectations of its parents by obtaining a 100% pass rate in ICT (Computing) at the December 2008 Sri Lankan OL examination. 98% of these students secured a C grade or higher with 54% A grades and 30% B grades. These are the overall results where Sri Lanka OL ICT is offered at Gateway branches in Colombo, Nugegoda, Panadura, Negombo, Gampaha, Wattala, Chilaw, Kandy, Kurunegala, Ratnapura, Kegalle, Bandarawela, Galle, Matara and Tangalle. Similar results have been obtained in a few Private Schools too where Gateway is responsible for the delivery of the ICT curriculum.

At London OL, IGCSE and GCSE examinations during the last 4 years, Gateway students have recorded a pass rate of 99% to 100%. Among them over 90% passed with a minimum grade of a Credit while over 50% received A* or A grades.

Gateway is to have their Annual Awards Day today, May 17 at the BMICH, Colombo. Issuing a message for the Annual Awards Day, Director Dr. Harsha Alles says, research indicates that ICT can make a difference to a pupil’s learning. In large studies that have been carried out so far, there is a positive link between the provision or use of ICT and pupil attainment, but this link is weak indicating that provision of a computer to a child can be beneficial but may not be good enough. However, research definitely points out that more substantial gain in pupil attainment are achievable where the use of ICT is planned, structured and integrated effectively. Dr. Alles says that it is this that Gateway provides for the children of Sri Lanka.

Dr. Alles also says that, having created a pathway to Gateway’s students to study ICT from Foundation Level (4 years of age) to Graduation Level, Gateway continues to expand their presence both locally and globally. With the two new destinations - Georgia and Myanmar, Gateway’s international reach now includes ten countries in three continents.

The Chief Guest, Prof. Dileeka Dias, Dean, Faculty of Information Technology, University of Moratuwa, says that it is noteworthy that the Gateway Kids School of Computing was started as far back as 1997, with the objective of providing training leading up to internationally recognized qualifications in ICT to the children of Sri Lanka. It was a timely recognition of the necessity of computer literacy in a competitive world.

She mentions that she is pleased to note that Gateway has produced top performers both at local and London O/L examinations. It is no doubt an endorsement of the quality of training offered by Gateway.

She says, it took 75 years for telephones to reach 50 million people, but it took only four years for the Internet to reach that number. The telephone wire became too small to provide all the information people were clamouring for. So, engineers around the world had to re-engineer their networks to do things never imagined before. From tiny body networks interactive games played across the globe, networks of computers have brought magic to our lives. Professor Dias says the ones receiving awards are lucky to have been initiated into this magical world early in life.