The Ceylon Teachers’ Union says that more than 800,000 students sitting for the GCE Ordinary Level and Advanced Level examinations this year have been subjected to severe stress / inconvenience due to the Kovid 19 epidemic.
Its General Secretary Joseph Starlin said in a press release that the Ministry of Education had not yet been able to formulate a formal plan for the school hours lost by children.
He points out that the GCE Advanced Level examination which is scheduled to be held in August has been postponed to October and the GCE Ordinary Level examination which is scheduled to be held in December has been postponed to January 2022. Currently, schools are held for a limited number of days.
He emphasized that it was a serious problem that only the duration of the examinations would be announced without any solution regarding the subjects missed by the students at a time when a decision could not be taken regarding the commencement of schools that were already closed.
He pointed out that while the online education system, which is accepted by all parties as failing to replace the missed school hours, is being implemented, the majority of students who do not study online are being treated unfairly by deciding the examination dates, he said. More than 300,000 students who sit for the GCE Advanced Level examination and more than 500,000 students who sit for the GCE Ordinary Level examination are under severe pressure as they are forced to cover the series.
The Ministry of Education should pay close attention to this situation and formulate a formal program for the GCE Ordinary Level and Advanced Level examinations in the covid 19 epidemic situation. The Ceylon Teachers’ Union strongly emphasizes that the National Education Commission should intervene and take action.