(LANKAPUVATH | COLOMBO) – The Minister of Education Dr. Susil Premajayantha said that the 2023 GCE Advanced Level Examination will not be postponed for any reason.
The Minister said that although the Examination Department had planned to hold the 2023 GCE A/L examination in October, due to the delay in the 2022 A/L exam answer script marking, an advance notice was given on July 17 that this year’s examination would be held from November 27 to December 21, 2023 and the examination would be conducted accordingly.
Minister Premajayantha said it usually takes about 4 months for the evaluation of the Advanced Level answer sheets and although this year’s examination ended on February 17th, due to the non-participation of the relevant parties, the marking process had to be started on May 20th. The Minister added that the Examination Department speeded up the paper marking and provided the results within a very short time from that day.
The students sitting for the 2023 A Level examination for the first time sat for the GCE O/L Examination in March 2021 and the results were released in September 2021. They were enrolled in A/L classes by 20th December 2021. Accordingly, by November 24, 2023, 343 school days will be completed and the subjects can be covered, Minister Premajayantha explained.
The Minister said that considering the age of the children, it is the expectation of the parents to get the opportunity to take the examinations as soon as possible and it has become an urgent need for the students to sit for the examinations as soon as possible and get the results.
The applications have been invited for the 2023 A Level examination and so far 323,913 applications have been received. In the previous year i.e. in the year 2022, the number of applicants was 331,709.
The Minister said that even after the results are released, the students who want to take the exam for the second or third time will have the opportunity to apply and if any candidate wants to appear for the exam again after the release of the exam results, the Examination Department will provide the opportunity through the online system.
Students sitting for the A-level examination are entitled to 06 school terms, but these students have been entitled to 07 school terms for learning activities in a period of 343 days till November 24.
The Minister also stated that parents and students are of the opinion that if the proposed examination schedule and term schedule are revised, injustice will be done to a majority of students and thus the human rights of all students will be violated.
Education Minister said that the attendance requirement for students applying for A-level examination has been reduced from 80 percent to 40 percent and according to the information obtained from the schools, the syllabus has been covered, and the attendance of students in A-level classes of 2023 is currently at a minimum level. The electricity crisis in the last half of 2022 ended in a short period of time and after the opening of schools that were closed due to the situation and various problematic situations in the country, the average holiday time of the students will be minimized, allowing a maximum number of days for students to engage in educational activities. The Minister stated that the decision will be taken accordingly so that the students will not face any problem.
