Hidden secret of stopping Grade 5 Scholarship exam

Secret exposed why Grade 5 scholarship is going to be stopped .... saying that it is a pressure for students

The Minister of Education did not reveal details on December 17th when removing a number of schools such as Issipatana, Ashoka, Kingswood of Kandy, St. Anthonys, Richmond of Galle, Matara Rahula and St. Xaviers from the cut-off marks list of the past Grade 5 scholarship examination as to why such a step had been taken, when releasing the list.

When that document was received by the media, the media tried to inquire whether it was an error that had taken place; but no one had come forward to clarify matters. On making investigations the following day, it was reported that there was no room left (on a'house full' level) to include students who were admitted to 1 - 5 classes in various ways to those schools and not enough room was available.

Accordingly, schools such as Richmond of Galle district and Rahula of Matara district which are in the forefront and were on a competitive level at the Ordinary Level examination, clever students of Grade 5 have lost the opportunity of gaining admission to these schools. On the contrary, opportunity has been afforded to those who have connections with those who are Ministers or members of parliament or the connection happens to be that they go behind another or the father of the student has the ability to give a bribe to enter popular schools.

Though the act of providing admission to students to popular schools is a phenomenon which has been operating for quite some time, it had been happening within a certain framework. As a result of this, preventing an opportunity of providing a chance for those who passed the Grade 5 scholarship examination is not justified and it also has resulted in underestimating the triumph of Grade 5 students in each district through such a process.

It was also reported that though usually cut-off marks are included in Grade 5 classes having vacant positions for 45 children, schools such as Issipatana, Ashoka, Kingswood, St. Anthonys, Richmond, Rahula, St. Xaviers do not have a single such vacant position and it is understood that every class has a number of 45 - 50 students. The information is that under these circumstances the authorities are not in a position to solve this problem even by combining another extra class.

It was further reported that the education authorities had understood that this problematic situation would emerge in the future and had informed about it to even the Minister at the beginning of this year. However, instead of putting a stop to admitting children by taking bribes, to solve the problem the Minister had taken steps to socialize the opinion that from next year there would be no Grade 5 scholarship examination.

As a result, in the future, all popular schools would be steaming with students who would be admitted to popular schools on the basis of bribes and through 'connections'.

It was reported that there would be a competition among them as if in an auction and that schools too could be developed in much the same way as temples are developed through contributors and would turn out to be a beneficial state of affairs as some have pointed out.

But what the society or public has been made to understand is that because Grade 5 students are suffering, and as a consequence of unnecessary mental problems, those who have failed the examination are sent away from home.