Marking of A/L papers in accordance with SC ruling

Sandasen Marasinghe

COLOMBO: The marking of GCE Advanced Level answer papers will commence from September 13 in accordance with the ruling of the Supreme Court, Examinations Commissioner Anura Edirisinghe said.

He said arrangements have been made to start the marking of all answer scripts except the answer papers on Combined Maths (due on August 20, 26 and September 4), in the respective Evaluations Centres from 8.30 am.

He said an evaluation of the answer papers is due to commence on September 17 as planned.

The evaluation of the Combined Maths answer papers will commence on September 24 in the same Centres.

The appointment letter to serve at the centres remains valid. In the mean time, the Supreme Court has issued an interim injunction on September 6 restraining five Teachers' Unions and their members from intimidating and threatening the assistant examiners who were to engage in GCE (A/L) paper marking this year.

The Court issued the order after considering a petition filed by a GCE (A/L) student H. S. Rukshan Senananda who had sat for the examination.

The Supreme Court Bench comprised Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva (PC), Supreme Court Justice Nihal Jayasinghe and Supreme Court Justice Jagath Balapatabendi.

The petitioner cited Education Minister Susil Premajayantha, Secretary to the Ministry Ariyaratne Hewage, Commissioner of General Examinations Anura Edirisinghe, the Ceylon Teachers' Services Union, All Ceylon United Teachers' Union, Education Professional Association, Ceylon Teachers' Union and Lanka Home Science and Agriculture Union and IGP Victor Perera.

Student Senananda from Nivattaka Chethiya Maha Vidyalaya in Anuradhapura said that several meetings had been held with the participation of the Assistant Examiners to discuss the marking schemes starting on August 16. The trade union leaders had sabotaged the said meetings.

The petitioner submitted that the Advanced Level paper marking had been sabotaged due to the action of five teachers' unions demanding to increase the salaries of teachers and principals.

The Court put off the hearing for December 10.