SB caught telling a "terminological inexactitude"

January 24, 2012, 9:28 pm , The Island

by Dasun Edirisinghe

A preeminent expert in the education field denied the Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake’s recent claim that Prof. R. O. Thattil of the Peradeniya University was not involved in introducing the Z – score system.

Former Secretary to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education Prof. R. P. Gunawardane confirmed Prof. Thattil’s involvement in formulating the Z – score system in 2000/2001.

Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake told Parliament last week that the Z-score formula was only a mathematical formula and not an invention by Prof R. O. Thattil.

In reply to a statement by Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe that the creator of the Z- score formula

Prof Thattil, too, was against the way the formula had been distorted by the Department of Examinations causing a mess-up in the GCE (A-Level) results, Minister Dissanayake said that the fact that the examination would be conducted under two syllabuses had been known to all stakeholders for the past three years or so.

Dissanayake said: "Prof. Thattil faults us for not including him on the expert panel to look into the problem. He was not invited to the committee because he had submitted a document in a court case a few years back that the Z score was incorrect and the court had rejected it. That was why we did not invite him this time around."

However, Prof. Gunawardane said that he had personally involved in the introduction of the Z – score formula in 2000/ 2001 and Prof. Thattil was the master brain behind it.

"I was personally responsible for initiating a dialogue, appointing a committee and implementing the Z-score method to rank students for university admission when I was serving as the Secretary to the Ministry," he said.

Prof. Gunawardane also said that a comprehensive proposal in this regard was forwarded by Prof. R. O. Thattil of the University of Peradeniya, who served as the consultant to the ministry and the University Grants Commission (UGC) to implement the Z – Score scheme during 2000/ 2001.

The Z-score method was much superior to taking aggregates in ranking students in different streams. There were difficult low scoring subjects and relatively easy high scoring subjects at the GCE A/L examination. The Z-score brought marks of the subjects to the same level so that meaningful rankings could be worked out. It had been proved that the ranking on that basis was fairer and more reliable, and it was considered the best and simplest option available to minimize discrepancies due to different subjects, number of subjects, variable marking and different curricula (old syllabus/ new syllabus), he said.

Prof. Gunawardena is also a former Chairman, National Education Commission, Senior Professor & Dean, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya.