Teachers unions lament professors’ inability to set question papers

August 14, 2012, 10:03 pm , The Island

by Nilantha Madurawela

The Examination Department has effected changes to five GCE A/L question papers so far. The are Logic, Combined Maths (Part I and II), Physics and Agriculture.

All Ceylon United Teachers Union told a media briefing that those professors who set these papers should be ashamed of themselves. The union President, Ven. Yalwela Pagngnasekera Thera said it was sad that professors with so many qualifications could not prepare a proper question paper.

The Thera also noted that when amendments to question papers were conveyed to examination centres, the Examinations Department had failed to ensure secrecy. The result was that when the agriculture question paper’s correction was read it was very easy to determine the exact question.

Although the Commissioner General of Examinations had assured students that there would be no injustice done to them as full marks would be awarded to them in respect of those questions, but to give students charity marks was totally wrong, declared Head of the Ceylon Teachers’ Union Joseph Stalin.

Stalin said that by giving charity marks they were doing an injustice to those students and the responsibility for all such wrongs should be taken by the Department.