25000 students from north to sit O/L

A/L second phase marking kicks off

The second phase of the Advanced Level paper marking commenced yesterday with the assistance of over 6,000 officials in tandem with the Ordinary Level exam preparations.
Examinations Commissioner General Anura Edirisinghe noted that over 25, 000 children from the newly cleared areas including Killinochchi and Mullaitivu would be sitting for the upcoming O/L paper that is scheduled to start on December 12. He noted that arrangements would be made for these students to sit for the exam at special examination centers in Vavuniya and more centers would be opened in resettled villages for students that may have returned home at that point.
He also noted that the exam would continue till December 23 but papers would not be held on December 13 and 20 as they would be Sundays. “Over 545, 000 students will be sitting for the exam from 4,000 centres countrywide and out of this an unusually high percentage are private applicants. This number is around 300, 000, usually we get most of the students from schools,” he added. Meanwhile, the second phase of the Advanced Level marking of answer scripts commenced yesterday. Nearly 13 schools including, Isipathana College, Ananda Girls’ College, Hindu College, Muslim Girls’ College and Gampaha Rathnaawali Balika Vidyalaya will be closed for this purpose and will re-open on September 28, according to the Education Ministry.
Edirisinghe also mentioned that as all the teacher unions are assisting the process it would be possible to release results on schedule.
The Ministry also confirmed that Sir John Kothalawela Maha Vidyalaya Kurunegala, Pushpadana Girls’ College Kandy, St. Aloysius’ College Galle and S. Thomas’ Kumara Vidyalaya Matara and Dharmadutha National School Badulla will be among the schools closed for paper marking.  Meanwhile, 46 schools that were closed for the first phase of Advanced Level and scholarship examination paper marking re-opened on Monday.