COLOMBO – In what is described as a significant development in addressing the controversy surrounding leaked questions in the 2024 Grade 5 Scholarship Examination, the Supreme Court on Tuesday (Dec 31) faulted the government for violating fundamental human rights in awarding free marks to all students.
A three-member Supreme Court judge bench which considered four petitions filed by a group of students who sat for the examination and their parents, expressing concerns over the fairness of the process, ordered the Commissioner General of Examinations to implement the most suitable of the recommendations provided by the expert committee appointed to investigate the issue.
Additionally, the Supreme Court ordered the Director of the Planning Division at the National Institute of Education in Maharagama and a tuition teacher from Alawwa—both arrested in connection with the paper leak—to pay compensation of 3 million and 2 million rupees, respectively, to the government.
The Grade 5 Scholarship Examination, held in September, faced a major crisis after a mock paper featuring questions identical to those in the official exam was circulated by a tuition teacher in the Alawwa area prior to the test. The leaked questions raised concerns about the examination’s credibility and fairness.
The Department of Examinations launched an investigation into the matter following complaints filed by various parties. A Deputy Commissioner of the Examinations Department lodged a formal complaint, prompting the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to step in and conduct a thorough probe.
Subsequently, two suspects were arrested by the Police in connection with the alleged leak. Following the arrests, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya instructed the Education Ministry to form a committee comprising local and international experts to provide recommendations on resolving the issue and preventing future occurrences.
The petitioners had sought a ruling that their fundamental human rights were violated through the government’s decision to award free marks to all students for the three questions alleged to have been leaked.
Several parents of Grade 5 students also raised the issue with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leading to the evaluation of the answer sheets for the scholarship examination being suspended until the investigation was completed.
-ENCL
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