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| - The authorities have not yet taken a decision on postponing the A-level examination!
While various opinions are being expressed in society about the dates of the 2024 A-Level examination, many people are wondering whether the date will be postponed. Due to this, we have investigated the facts and made an explanation below.
Social Media Posts
Two letters were circulated in social media, one addressed to the Prime Minister requesting a 30-day postponement of the 2024 A Level Examination and another by the Prime Minister’s Office to the Examination Department of the Ministry of Education requesting to consider this matter.
Below are the letters that were circulated.
Due to this, may people were wondering of this is an original letter and whether there was a decision to postpone the A-level examination by a month.
Based on the requests we received to inquire about its accuracy, we took steps to find its authenticity.
Explainer:
Exam Commissioner General Amith Jayasundara announced at a press conference on the 13th of September that the Sri Lanka Examinations Department has decided to hold the 2024 GCE Advanced level examination from November 25th December 20th.
However, with the ongoing election period, as a discussion regarding the postponement of the GCE AL examination is circulating in social media, we contacted the commissioner general of examinations over the phone to confirm whether there is a decision to postpone the A-level examination.
Commissioner General of Examination
The Commissioner General of Examinations Mr. Amith Jayasundara stated that the circulating letter are original letters sent to the Examinations Department through the Prime Minister’s Office.
In addition to this, he mentioned that the examination department receives requests to postpone the A-level examination directly, through letters and emails.
He mentioned that the attention of the Minister of Education and Prime minister Harini Amarasuriya has also been drawn to this, but no decision has been taken to postpone the A-level examination yet.
He said that the scheduled days were used after covering the prescribed syllabus and after the completion of the specified 6 terms.
He further mentioned that by postponing the exam, the exams scheduled to be held in the coming years will be hindered from being held in the proper time period, and that this has been happening for the past years.
This year, he had initially hoped to hold the A-level examination in August, but due to the non-completion of the 6 terms related to the syllabus, arrangements have been made to start the examination on November 25th.
Previously, the Commissioner of Examinations, who appeared on a television program last March, stated that he hopes to conduct the A-level examination during November-December.
Prime Minister Media Division
The Prime Minister’s Media Division stated that the circulating letters are true, but still a decision has not taken to postpone the exam.
2024 GCE A-level Exam postponement request
This year, the students who sat for the O-level examination in 2021 will be facing the A-level examination. Their O-level examination which was scheduled to be held on 2021 December was postponed to May 23rd 2022. The results were released on 25th of November 2022. In A-level examinations held on 2019 and before, the students had to sit for the exam within an interval of 28 months from the date of release of their ordinary level results.
This figure changed to 33 months for the 2022 A-level group and 27 months for the 2023 A-level group.
But this year, the students who are sitting for the 2024 A-level examination are getting only a period of 24 months from the date of their O-level exam result released. Although the 2023 A-level students did not get 28 months, they still got a period of 27 months. Compared to 2023 A-level students, 2024 students will get comparatively less time of 3 months.
The teacher’s associations indicated that they can give the A-level results within two and a half months or three months. They also stated that if the results are released within that time period, it will not affect the students who are facing the A-level examination the following year.
The students who are facing the A-level exam this year, acknowledges the nature of the crisis that the exams have faced in the country, and therefore they only request an extra month.
Some student groups who are facing the exam this year states that the reason for this request not being raised earlier was that some teachers have assumed that if the government changes with the parliamentary election, the exams will be postponed by a month. But the problem has arisen due to the decision to not to postpone the exam as expected.
They highlight that there is no particular issue with holding the election on November 14th but their problem is that by holding the A-level examination on 25th of November, the preparation time for the exam is reduced. You can refer to Facebook posts posted by A-level students, here, here, and here.
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