Final decision taken over ‘leaked’ questions of Grade 5 Scholarship exam

The Ministry of Education stated that a decision has been taken to award full marks to all students for the three questions in the first paper of this year’s Grade 05 Scholarship Examination that had allegedly been shared in advance, as recommended by the committee of experts.

The expert committee has stated that re-conducting the examination would significantly affect the mental well-being of the children who have already faced the exam. 

They also emphasize that it is essential to do justice to all the children, suggesting that the best solution is to award full marks to all the students for the three questions in the first paper that had allegedly been shared in advance. 

The committee also noted that suspending the examination could create considerable stress for teachers, parents, and the entire school system.

The Ministry of Education had appointed a seven-member committee to decide whether or not this year’s Grade 5 Scholarship Examination should be re-conducted.

Ministry Secretary Thilaka Jayasundara had said that this decision was taken on the advice of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

A problematic situation arose due to the alleged leakage of some questions in this year’s Scholarship Examination, while the Examinations Department as well as the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had launched investigations.