UGC seeks court clarification on Z-score issuing authority

Dharma SRI ABEYRATNE

The University Grants Commission(UGC) will obtain legal assistance to clarify the authority empowered to issue Z-score marks, University Grants Commission chairman Professor Gamini Samaranayaka said.

He said the Z-score is issued not by the University Grants Commission but by the Examinations Department. But the university entrance cut-off marks are issued by the UGC.

In accordance with the Supreme Court order, the UGC has been ordered to calculate the Z-score marks separately for students who sat the 2011 Advanced Level Examination under

the new and old syllabuses. But the processes of calculating and issuing of Z-score marks are up to the Examination Department, he noted.

Therefore, the UGC is seeking legal assistance and discussing with lawyers to obtain a court clarification whether the Z-score is to be issued by them or by the Examination Department. However, the UGC will always abide by the court order and carry out the recommendation of the Supreme Court order on the issue of Z-score.. Sarath Kulatunga, a senior professor of the Kelaniya University who was a member of five member committee to formulate the Z-score calculating formula said the committee focused special attention on minimizing injustices.

The panel to prepare last year’s A/L question papers highly concentrated on minimising the levels of difficulties under the two syllabli. Higher Education Minister SB Dissanayake said that the Ministry will take every possible step with the Examination Department to enrol students for undergraduate courses as scheduled.