District ranking error Vs
Z score issue

January 26, 2012, 7:50 pm , The Island.

By Dhara Wijayatilake

Attorney-at-Law,

Secretary, Ministry of Technology and Research and Chairperson of the Committee Appointed by the President to Inquire into the District Ranking Error.

Much is being said about the Report of the five-member Committee appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to report on matters relating to the District ranking error that occurred in the 2011 G.C.E A/L results. Some allege that the report seeks to cover up a serious flaw in the Z score calculation that has been used. Some allege that it has not addressed a vital concern regarding the Z score.

It is unfortunate that too much is being said without even an attempt to appreciate what the Committee was directed to report on. Any Committee that is appointed is given a specific mandate. While constructive comments made after an understanding of that mandate are undoubtedly valuable, comments that are made without an understanding of that mandate must be dismissed as being irrelevant and unfortunate. Let me then make this humble attempt to clarify what I see as confusion.

District Rankings

The results of the GCE A/L examination released on December 25th, 2011 were found to contain errors with regard to the District rankings. The fact that there were errors in the district rankings was accepted and was not denied by anyone. There was no difference of opinion on that. The President desired to ascertain certain facts with regard to that error and appointed a Committee to look into it. The mandate given to the Committee was to ascertain the causes that contributed to the error with regard to the district rankings and who was responsible; to examine the computer systems used for processing and data analysis and ascertain whether these functions were carried out in compliance with acceptable standards; to ascertain whether there were any shortcomings in the technology used; and finally to recommend what steps should be taken to prevent a recurrence of such a situation. The Committee interviewed relevant persons and submitted its report which contained its findings and recommendations with regard to the matters that were referred to it. The recommendations have now been forwarded to the relevant authorities for implementation.

It is important to note that the Committee was required to ascertain the causes that contributed to the district ranking error. Clearly, the reference is to the error that was contained in the results that were first released by the Department of Examinations on 25th, December 2011. Of this there is no doubt. The Committee reported on all of the matters referred to it. The Committee obviously did not report on matters that were extraneous to its mandate.

The facts as ascertained by the Committee are as follows:

The Department of Examinations (DoE) is statutorily mandated with the power/responsibility of conducting the GCE A/L examination while the University Grants Commission (UGC) is statutorily mandated with the power of determining admission of students to institutes of higher learning. The UGC had used the Z score of candidates to determine admissions to the University since 2001 and there was no debate about the use of the Z score for this purpose. The physical activity of calculating the Z score based on whatever the UGC determined had always been carried out by the DoE which had a system in place to enter, amongst other things, the raw marks of candidates and proceed to process same to generate the Z scores.

In 2011, there were two categories of students who sat the GCE A/L – those who sat under the old syllabus and those who sat under the new syllabus. The DoE was planning on calculating the Z scores of the two categories of students as in previous years and to generate two separate lists – one with the Z scores and rankings of the old syllabus candidates and another with the Z scores and rankings of the new syllabus candidates. However, the UGC did not want two separate lists. They required the DoE to generate one list from which university admissions could be determined on merit. The UGC therefore appointed a five-member Panel of experts to obtain advice on how to produce one single list from which they could determine University admissions on merit.

The UGC obtained that advice from the Z score Expert Panel and passed the formula that the Panel proposed, to the DoE to do the calculations. The department proceeded to apply the formula given to them by the UGC and produced one list of results.

Expert Panel

As stated previously, when the GCE A/L results were released on 25th December 2011, it was found that an error had occurred in the district rankings. The DoE had, it was said, corrected that mistake and issued a new set of results with different district rankings. The President wanted an inquiry to be conducted. A Committee was appointed to inquire into it and was given the mandate previously referred to.

In pursuance of its mandate, the Committee identified how the district ranking error was caused (due to a processing error at the final stage), who was responsible for that error and after its own and independent investigations confirmed that, that error (i. e. the processing error that occurred at the final stage) had been corrected. The Committee also identified many areas that must of necessity be improved to enhance the quality of the examination process including the need for double checking and validation at every stage and made recommendations for improvement. The computer system was examined and recommendations were made with regard to improvements. It was also recommended that implementation be pursued in terms of a Plan of Action and time targets. The President has directed that the recommendations be implemented. I will not here refer to the details of the recommendations made. I am confident however that no one will call us bureaucratic lackeys or boot lickers after reading our report.

The finding of the Committee was that the error in the district rankings was caused due to a mistake that occurred at the data processing stage in the Department of Examinations. The formula adopted by the UGC to determine University admissions was not the cause of the district ranking error. Obviously, then the correctness or otherwise of the Z score formula however important it may be, (and I fully agree that it is very important) was a matter that was extraneous to the mandate of the Committee. The use of a wrong formula to calculate the Z score would have resulted not only in an error in the district rankings but also in the island rankings.

The fact that there are other issues that are also important does not give the Committee the right to step outside its given mandate and comment on such issues. The Committee had no right to assume that the appointing authority had any intention of expecting advice on those matters, from this Committee.

Clear Distinction

There is a clear distinction between an error (such as was caused in the district rankings) and a difference of opinion, such as is now raging with regard to the calculation of the Z score. There are two issues here and they are distinct and separate. The first is regarding the district rankings error and the other is regarding the formulae adopted to calculate the Z score. Please note there was no error in the island rankings in the results released on 25th December, 2011. (Prof. Gunawardane in his article in the Island of January 25th, 2011 states that there were errors in the island rankings as well, in the results issued. This is incorrect).

An error is an error – a mistake. If one needs to find out what went wrong, it’s necessary to inquire into it. On the other hand, the whole issue of the Z score and how it was calculated in the instant case of the 2011 G.C.E A/L to deal with 2 syllabi, stems from a difference of opinion. Should the Z scores have been calculated after pooling of the means and variances or should the Z score have been calculated separately? There are those who say the formula used is sound (the Z score expert Committee appointed by the UGC says so) and there are those who argue that it is not. The mere fact that there is a difference of opinion about this matter, does not, by itself, render the formula erroneous. Equally, no one who has an opinion different to the one that has now been adopted should be faulted for having that opinion. But it is absolutely important to get it right, in the end.

Obviously, the needs of decision makers in these two situations are different. While the former situation (error) requires a fact finding process to be put in place, the latter (Z score) requires expert advice.

Mr. Sumanasiri Liyanage – Island Jan 23rd, 2012, states "I strongly believe the members (of the Committee) would have carefully read the Terms of Reference (TOR) before setting about their task, asked themselves whether they could within the given mandate do justice to the issue? Had they done so, they would have realised that the investigation within the purview of the given ToR was not meaningful.’ Mr. Liyanage also hints that the investigative exercise of the Committee was destined not to produce reasonable results.

The Issue

What is this issue that’s referred to here by Mr. Liyanage? To whom is the investigation of the Committee not meaningful? The issue that the Committee was tasked to report on was the District ranking error issue. Was that not an issue? It was an issue to the many stakeholders who were as yet wondering whether even now, that error has in fact been corrected. And it was obviously an issue to the Head of State. Is it not important to ensure that such mistakes do not recur? Is it not important to ascertain whether that mistake has now been corrected as claimed by the DoE? Is it not meaningful to attempt to improve the process followed by the DoE in conducting one of the most important examinations that our students submit themselves to? Prof. R.P. Gunawardena (Island January 25th, 2012) rightly emphasises the importance of the G.C.E A/L examination. Is it then meaningless to ensure that all is right in the conduct of that examination? No, it is not. It is not only meaningful, but is also the serious responsibility of those in charge of education, to remedy what is wrong. If one is sincere about remedying what is wrong, you need to first find out what is wrong.

The mere fact that there is a difference of opinion about the Z score issue, however intrinsically connected that issue may be to the same examination (the 2011 GCE A/L), does not make the District ranking error and everything done to prevent a recurrence of such an error, meaningless.

Prof. Gunawardane in his article (Island January 25th, 2012) analyses the formula used to calculate the z scores in the 2011 examination and states that it is a fundamental error made by the expert Committee (i. e. the z score expert committee) and proceeds to suggest how it should have been done. These comments are indeed valuable. He also states that "Unfortunately, the Presidential Committee appointed to look into this matter has overlooked this important issue of using a wrong formula for the calculation of the z scores." (The Island editorial also cites this statement). No, Prof. Gunawardane, the Presidential Committee did not overlook that matter. As explained earlier, we were not appointed to look into that matter. Perhaps Prof. Gunawardane states so because of an incorrect assumption that there were island ranking errors in the results issued on 25th December, 2011 by the Department of Examinations? While the District ranking error was caused due to a processing error in the DoE, if the formula used to calculate the Z scores is not correct, it has an impact on district as well as island rankings. The question as to whether it is right or wrong or whether there is a better formula or not, are matters that must be concluded based on the best advice.

The Z score issue is one that deserves the highest consideration. What is required in that regard is not a fact finding inquiry but expert advice. The focus should be on the need to ensure that our students are treated justly and fairly and that merit alone is rewarded.

Unique You

January 26, 2012, 8:00 pm , The Island.


Former President of India,
Dr. Abdul Kalam’s Address at University of Moratuwa
Colombo
22 January 2012

Continued from yesterday

Friends, we live in an era of convergence; the future of innovation would lie at the interface of science and engineering. It is estimated that in the life of a scientist or an engineer, he or she will come across and work in at least seven new areas which are born out of convergence of multiple science and technologies. Such convergence has made the border between areas completely porous.

Let me discuss some examples.

Convergence of Technologies : bio-info-nano-eco ecology

The information technology and communication technology have already converged leading to Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Information Technology combined with bio-technology has led to bio-informatics. Similarly, Photonics is grown out from the labs to converge with classical Electronics and Microelectronics to bring in new high speed options in consumer products. Flexible and unbreakable displays using thin layer of film on transparent polymers have emerged as new symbols of entertainment and media tools. Now, Nano-technology has come in. It is the field of the future that will replace microelectronics and many fields with tremendous application potential in the areas of medicine, electronics and material science. When Nano technology and ICT meet, integrated silicon electronics, photonics are born and it can be said that material convergence will happen.

With material convergence and biotechnology linked, a new science called Intelligent Bioscience will be born which would lead to a disease free, happy and more intelligent human habitat with longevity and high human capabilities. Convergence of bio-nano-info technologies can lead to the development of nano robots. Nano robots when they are injected into a patient, my expert friends say, it will diagnose and deliver the treatment exclusively in the affected area and then the nano-robot gets digested as it is a DNA based product. I saw the product sample in one of the labs in South Korea where best of minds with multiple technology work with a target of finding out-of-the-box solution.

My experience in Harvard University: Convergence of science is reciprocating. Let me give an example. Recently, I was in the Harvard University where I visited laboratories of many eminent professors from the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. I recall, how Professor Hongkun Park, showed me his invention of nano needles, which can pierce and deliver content into individual targeted cells. That’s how nano particle sciences is shaping the bio sciences. Then I met Professor Vinod Manoharan, who showed on the other hand bio sciences is in turn shaping nano material science as well. He is using DNA material to design self assembling particles. When particular type of DNA is applied on a particle at the atomic level, he is able to generate a prefixed behavior and automatic assembly from them. This could be our answer to self assembly of devices and colonies in deep space without human intervention as envisioned by Dr K Erik Drexler. Thus, within a single research building, I saw how two different sciences are shaping each other without any iron curtain between the technologists. This reciprocating contribution of sciences to one another is going to shape our future and industry needs to be ready for it. The curriculum designers of University of Moratuwa, may like to take this aspect into account while formulating new courses.

Now, a new trend is emerging. The aspect being introduced is that of Ecology. Globally, the demand is shifting towards development of sustainable systems which are technologically superior. This is the new dimension of the 21st century knowledge society, where science and environment will go together. Thus the new age model would be a four dimensional bio-nano-info-eco based.

21st century University Vision

Friends, I have in the last ten years met more than 10 Million youth and faculty from more than 150 universities in India and 37 universities in abroad. Based on these interactions, I wish to formulate a 21st university vision for your consideration.

* The universities have to prepare citizens of the future with a global outlook and be capable of serving his/her nation or nation of his/her choice.

* Science and technology and public policy are interrelated for mutual benefit and ushering in human kind’s development. This link has to be solidly built in the university education.

* Good teachers can be in any part of the world. The university has to bring in this resource through innovative content generation in virtual class rooms.

* Technological connectivities among universities have to be pursued vigorously using cost effective virtual class rooms.

* Cost effective continuing education possibilities are essential for citizens to be in tune with time.

* Can university education lead to sustainable development of the nation?

* With the world population increasing and resources dwindling, a mindset has to be developed for conserving and sharing the resources and look for new research for abundant resources. This calls for a "noble spirit" as well as a "research spirit"

In summary, the 21st century university education is about developing enlightened citizenship for a knowledge society for peace and prosperity of nations and the world. 21st century University has to be the incubator of world knowledge powerhouse.

Conclusion

Finally, I would like to ask you, what would you like to be remembered for? You have to evolve yourself and shape your life. You should write it on a page. That page may be a very important page in the book of human history. And you will be remembered for creating that one page in the history of the nation – whether that page is the page of invention, the page of innovation or the page of discovery or the page of creating societal change or a page of removing the poverty or the page of fighting injustice or a page of finding innovative cost-effective healthcare system both preventive and curative or a page of how you have facilitating establishment coastal PURA or Hill PURA in any part of Sri Lanka. I am sure, you would like to do something different – out of box missions. I will be very happy if you could write this page. And if you mail to me your dreams, I can correspond on your out of box ideas and thoughts. (apj@abdulkalam.com).

My best wishes to all of you for success in your mission of igniting the energy and ability of youth to achieve accelerated societal transformation in Sri Lanka and become an enlightened citizen of the world.

May God Bless you.

Oath for Students

1. Engineering, Technology, healthcare and Management is a life time mission. I will work, work and work and succeed.

2. Wherever I am, a thought will always come to my mind. That is what process or product I can innovate, invent or discover.

3. I will always remember that "Let not my winged days, be spent in vain".

4. I realize I have to set a great technological goal that will lead me to think high, work and persevere to realize the goal.

5. My greatest friends will be great scientific/technological minds, good teachers and good books.

6. I firmly believe that no problem can defeat me; I will become the captain of the problem, defeat the problem and succeed.

7. I will work and work for removing the problems faced by planet earth in the areas of water, energy, habitat, waste management and environment through the application of science and technology.

8. I will work and work for making Sri Lanka a granary of south-east Asia.

9. I will be a good member of my family, a good member of the society, a good member of the nation and a good member of the world.

Concluded

Three Pera U’grads remanded

January 26, 2012, 10:18 pm , The Island.

By Cyril Wimalasurendre

KANDY: Three undergraduates, arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department on allegations that they were involved in incidents of ragging and sexual abuse, were yesterday (26) remanded till February 09 by the Chief Magistrate of Kandy Ravindra Premaratne.

Twenty two others were released on surety bail in Rs. 100,000 each by the Chief Magistrate.

Those allowed bail were warned that they should not be involved in incidents of ragging and demonstrations until the hearing of the case was over.

The case was put off to February 9.

The suspects were second year undergraduates of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Peradeniya.

The three remanded were Charith Lakmal, Ruchira Madushantha and Yohan Sandaruwan.

ASP Nagahamulla of the CID prosecuted.

Attorneys Sugath Karawita, Tissa Marahela and Pradeep Ranasinghe appeared for the suspect students.

GMOA tells Carlo not  to be a dictator

January 26, 2012, 10:24 pm , The Island.

By Don Asoka Wijewardena

Government Medical Officers Association President Dr. Anuruddda Padeniya yesterday requested Sri Lanka Medical Council President Prof. Carlo Fonseka not to be a dictator when taking decisions at the council. During the decision-making processes of the SLMC its President was required to listen to the comments, suggestions and objections of other members, he said.

The latest GMOA outburst came over a statement made by Prof. Fonseka that he would discuss with unsuccessful ERPM examination medical students’ parents and do them justice. All foreign qualified medical graduates are required to pass the Examination Registration to Practice Medicine (ERPM) in Sri Lanka.

The SLMC’s main functions were to maintain a standard medical service, code of ethics for doctors and professionalism. It had been maintaining the medical profession independently. If personal interests and decisions of its President were applied, the credibility of the medical profession would fade away, Dr. Padeniya told a Media Conference at the GMOA Head Office.

He said that it was a pre-requisite of each doctor to pass the ERPM examination before practicing medicine here. A doctor who failed the ERPM examination could not practice medicine. There were doctors who had not been able to pass the examination. When some unsuccessful ERPM exam doctors’ parents met the SLMC President, he had told them that he would try to find out the cause of examination failure and settle it.

The GMOA President said that there were guidelines to maintain the quality of examinations. If doctors failed the relevant examinations, lowering of standard pass marks would do more harm than good to the profession. It was a breach of professional etiquette, he said.

Regarding the transport allowance of doctors Dr. Padeniya pointed out that when the GMOA representatives met President Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2008, he agreed to provide Rs. 30,000 as transport allowance. Currently, only Rs. 12,500 was given to doctors. That amount was not enough for the Disturbance, Availability and Transport Allowance. He said the GMOA would request the government to implement it without delay.

Unique You

January 25, 2012, 7:51 pm , The Island.


Former President of India,
Dr. Abdul Kalam’s Address at University of Moratuwa
Colombo

22 January 2012

I am delighted to address and interact with the Students and Faculty Members of the University of Moratuwa in this beautiful environment of Colombo. My greetings to all of you. I found that the University has chosen the motto "Vidyaiwa Sarwadhanam – meaning Wisdom is all Wealth". This has an important and powerful message to all the students and faculty members. The study of the website of the University indicates that the University has a vision "To be the most globally recognized Knowledge Enterprise in Asia". With this vision, the University has a mission "produce world class graduates in technological fields who will be relevant nationally and internationally". I am happy to know that the students of the university are self confident, flexible, highly employable and are trained to become "employment creators" instead of being "employment seekers". I congratulate the pioneers both present and past who have created and nurtured a robust educational system in the University of Moratuwa during the last 33 years. Today, I would like to share few thoughts on the topic "Unique You".

First let us see the ten unique personalities,.

Unique You

Dear friends, Look up, what do you see, the light, the electric bulbs. Immediately, our thoughts go to the inventor Thomas Alva Edison, for his unique contribution towards the invention of electric bulb and his electrical lighting system.

When you hear the sound of aero-plane going over your house, whom do you think of? Wright Brothers proved that man could fly, of-course at heavy risk and cost.

Whom does the telephone remind you of? Of course, Alexander Graham Bell.

When everybody considered a sea travel as an experience or a voyage, aunique person questioned during his sea travel from United Kingdom to India. He was pondering on why the horizon where the sky and sea meet looks blue? His research resulted in the phenomena of scattering of light. Of course, Sir CV Raman was awarded Nobel Prize.

Do you know an Indian Mathematician who did not have formal higher education but had inexhaustible spirit and love for mathematics which took him to contribute to the treasure houses of mathematical research – some of which are still under serious study and engaging all-available world mathematicians’ efforts to establish formal proofs? He was a unique Indian genius who could melt the heart of the most hardened and outstanding Cambridge mathematician Prof G H Hardy. In fact, it is not an exaggeration to say that it was Prof. Hardy who discovered a great mathematician for the world. This mathematician was of-course Srinivasa Ramanujan for whom every number was a divine manifestation.

Do you know the scientist who is famous for Chandra Limit which describes the maximum mass (~1.44 solar masses) of a white dwarf star, or equivalently, the minimum mass for which a star will ultimately collapse into a neutron star to black hole following a supernova. Two of his students got the Nobel Prize before him. It is of-course the famous Nobel Laureate Chandrasekhar Subrmaniam .

Friends, there was a great scientific lady who is known for discovering Radium. She won not one, but two Nobel Prizes, one for physics and another for chemistry. Who is she? She is Madam Curie. Madam Curie discovered radium and she was doing research on the effect of radiation on human system. The same radiation which she discovered, affected her and she sacrificed her life for removing the pain of human life.

Do you know about a great human being with a spirit of service, who also won a Nobel Prize for her contributions? She said and practiced, "Give, give and give, until it hurts". She is Mother Teresa.

Do you know the Sri Lankan Physicist, academician and economist who had worked on energy, sustainable development and climate change and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Mr Al Gore in 2007? Of course he is the great Prof. Mohan Munasinghe.

Arthur Clarke, the visionary in space communication who made Sri Lanka his home revolutionized the world with his concept of geostationary communication satellites

Do you know the cosmic ray scientist who transformed into institution builder of institutions like Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad – Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and Indian Space Research Organisation? Of course he is the visionary Prof Vikram Sarabhai.

When I described to you young friends, these historical ten events, you all jumped. The scientist, technologist and great human being, who created the event, are unique personalities. Young friends, can you join such unique performers of scientific history? Yes, you can. Definitely, you can. Let us study together, how it can be made possible?

Friends, I have, so far, met 12 million youth in a decade’s time. I learnt, "every youth wants to be unique, that is, YOU! But the world all around you, is doing its best, day and night, to make you just "everybody else". At home, dear young friends, you are asked by your parents to be like neighbours’ children for scoring good marks. When you go to school, your teacher says "why not you become like the first five rankers in the class". Wherever you go, they are saying "you have to be somebody else or everybody else".

The challenge, my young friends, is that you have to fight the hardest battle, which any human being can ever imagine to fight; and never stop fighting until you arrive at your destined place, that is, a UNIQUE YOU! Friends what will be your tools to fight this battle, what are they: have a great aim in life, continuously acquire the knowledge, work hard and persevere to realize the great achievement.

Dear friends, when I see you all, I am thinking how you can achieve what you envision in your life?

Criteria for achievement for youth

How does achievement come? There are four proven steps; having an aim in life before 20 years of age, acquiring knowledge continuously, hard work towards the aim and perseverance to defeat the problem and succeed. In this connection let me recall famous verses of 13th century Persian Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi:

Wings to Fly

"You were born with potential.

You were born with goodness and trust.

You were born with ideas and dreams.

You were born with greatness.

You were born with wings.

You are not meant for crawling,

so don’t, you have wings.

Learn to use them to fly."

- Jalaluddin Rumi

- 13th Century Persian Sufi Poet

My message to you, young friends, is that education gives you wings to fly. Achievement comes out of fire in our sub-conscious mind that "I will win". So, each one of you assembled here and elsewhere, will have "Wings of Fire". The Wing of Fire will indeed lead to knowledge which will make you a great technologist, or an Engineer, or a designer, or a teacher, or a political leader, or a bureaucrat or a diplomat or you would like to walk on the Moon and Mars or anything you want to be. I would like to assert that "No youth today need to fear about the future". How? The ignited mind of the youth is the most powerful resource on the earth, under the earth and above the earth.

System design, system integration and system management

Since I am in the midst of students being prepared for techno-managerial expertise, I would like to give my experience with a teacher who taught me system design, system integration and system management in an integrated learning environment.

While I was studying Aeronautical Engineering in Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), Chennai, (1954-57), during the third year of my course, I was assigned a project with five other colleagues, to design a low-level attack aircraft. I was given the responsibility of system design and system integration by integrating the team members. Also, I was responsible for aerodynamic and structural design of the project. The other five members of my team took up the design of propulsion, control, guidance, avionics and instrumentation of the aircraft. My design teacher Prof. Srinivasan, the then Director of MIT, was our guide. He reviewed the project and declared my work to be gloomy and disappointing. He didn’t lend an ear to my difficulties in bringing together data-base from multiple designers. I asked for a month’s time to complete the task, since I had to get the inputs from five of my other colleagues without which I cannot complete the system design. Prof. Srinivasan told me "Look, young man, today is Friday afternoon. I give you three days time, by Monday morning if I don’t get the configuration design, your scholarship will be stopped." I had a jolt in my life, as scholarship was my lifeline, without which I cannot continue with my studies. There was no other way out, but to finish the task. My team felt the need for working together round the clock. We didn’t sleep that night, working on the drawing board skipping our dinner. On Saturday, I took just an hour’s break. On Sunday morning, when I was near completion, I felt someone’s presence in my laboratory. It was Prof. Srinivasan studying my progress. After looking at my work, he patted and hugged me affectionately. He had words of appreciation: "I knew I was putting you under stress and asking you to meet a difficult deadline. You have done a great job in system design".

Through this review mechanism of Prof Srinivasan, I was injected the necessity of understanding the value of time by each team member and brought out the best from the system design team. I realized that if something is at stake, the human minds get ignited and the working capacity gets enhanced manifold. That’s what exactly happened. The message is: whatever be their specialization, the students should be trained to systems approach and projects, which will prepare them for new products, innovation and undertaking higher organizational responsibilities. A great teacher inspires the young students like Prof. Srinivasan.

I am confident that the University of Moratuwa will break all the inter-disciplinary barriers and promote inter-disciplinary research among the students and faculty members.

To be continued tomorrow

Japanese educationalist puzzled by Lankan university protest

January 25, 2012, 9:51 pm , The Island.


By Jayantha de Silva

The current wave of university students’ strikes over the establishment of private universities and the presentation of the private university bill was viewed negatively by two eminent educationalists from Japan.

"In Japan only 20 percent are state universities. In contrast to Sri Lanka Japanese university students ceased to resort to strikes to win their demands since the 70’s, said Professor Kondo Yuichi, Dean of Admissions, of the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) and Professor of the College of Asia Pacific Studies, in an exclusive interview with The Island on Tuesday (24).

The APU signed agreements with D. S. Senanayake College, Colombo and Trinity College Kandy to offer scholarships to students of the two schools to study at APU.

The Principal of D. S. Senanayake College, Dayaratne Dissanayake and the Principal of Trinity College, Brig. Udaya Ariyaratne and Prof. Kondo Yuichi of APU signed the agreements.

Prof. Yuichi said Sri Lanka also should have private universities due to the fact that the central government’s resources were limited. Private universities’ mission is to identify what to teach’ in context of the National Policy.

He called for the private universities to be empowered with the right to award a wider spectrum of higher degrees with a view to mould future leaders of Asia.

When queried as to how the examinations should be conducted, he explained that one examination could be held by the university itself and the second examination to be held at the national level by the government, thus eliminating a lowering of academic standards.

Asked how the less affluent student segments could gain entry to the private universities he said that in Japan such students were granted long term low interest loans amounting to almost zero interests.

A stipulated requirement was that the loans had to be repaid once the recipients were gainfully employed.

Governments were progressively getting weak.

Sri Lanka should take a cue from Korea and western nations where private universities were in the main stream of education, the Professor noted.

Referring to the advantages students stand to accrue in private universities he explained that by empowering private universities to design their own programmes of studies, it enabled students to select courses according to their aspirations.

Ms. Ikue Matsumo, Senior Admission Counsellor of the (APU) said that opening of private universities augured well for Sri Lanka.

Speaking on modalities on entry requirements, she advocated a minimum three passes at GCE A/L for entry should be stipulated.

She justified low entry requirements as "more can gain entry" to the university.

In addition, a score of 5.5 in IELTS and the stipulated standard in TOFEL should be made mandatory, she said.

Atomic Energy Authority out to control cowboys operating X-ray machines

January 25, 2012, 9:49 pm, The Island.

By Pabodha Hettige

The National Atomic Energy Authority (NAEA) wants all operators of X-ray machines to obtain a license in order to prevent hazards caused by radiation, Chairman of the authority Dr. Ranjith Wijewardene said. The license would be issued for two years ensuring that the machines are not substandard and the public is protected from the radiation emitted by the machines.

"The Radiation Protection Division of the NAEA had started to inspect the machines in operation acting on complaints received from the public and legal action had been instituted against several technicians," he said.

According to NAEA Chairman the authority had discovered x-ray leakages and unclear images in sub standard x-ray machines used at several places.

Exposure to radiation could result in inducing cancer. Most of the sub-standard machines were unable to control the dose of radiation emitted.

Currently there were 740 X-ray machines registered under the NAEA in countrywide hospitals and medical laboratories. The authority had also sent letters to nearly 20 laboratories operating without licence for immediate registration.

The NAEA requests the public to obtain services from a registered X-ray technician and the public is also requested to inform the NAEA about the unregistered places on numbers 011-2533427/8.

SB hums different tune after his claims are countered

Former Exam Chief strikes discordant note

January 25, 2012, 9:38 pm , The Island.


by Dasun Edirisinghe

Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake yesterday claimed that he had wanted Prof. R. O. Thattil on the panel of experts which introduced a new Z score formula combining the results of old and new syllabuses at the last GCE (A/L), but the Examination Department and the University Grants Commission opposed his appointment to the panel.

Addressing a news conference at the UGC Auditorium, Minister Dissanayake said that he couldn’t override their decisions.

Former Secretary to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education Prof. R. P. Gunawardena on Tuesday criticized the government for not including Prof. Thattil in the panel that worked out the new Z score formula.

Answering a question raised by a journalist, Minister Dissanayake agreed that the then Education and Higher Education Minister selected Prof. Thattil’s proposal to implement the ‘Z’ – Score scheme during 2000/ 2001 from 11 other proposals.

"When I suggested Prof. Thattil’s name to the panel, the Examinations Department opposed it on grounds that Prof. Thattil had submitted a letter to Court in favour of a student who had filed a case against the Examinations Department and UGC," he said.

Dissanayake said that the UGC too opposed Prof Thattil’s appointment as there were several audit queries against the Professor when he was working as the Director of the Peradeniya University’s Post Graduate Institute.

The Minister also said that the ‘Z’ – score system was the best measurement to select students to the universities.

When contacted by The Island, former Commissioner General of Examinations Anura Edirisinghe denied Minister Dissanayake’s claim that the Examinations Department objected to the appointment of Prof. Thattil.

"We neither opposed nor agreed with Prof. Thattil’s appointment to the panel," he said adding that the Examinations Department was not aware of the experts in the panel until it was officially announced.

UGC Chairman Prof. Gamini Samaranayake said Prof. Thattil was not the only statistician in the country.

"There is no doubt he’s an expert, but we appointed a five-member experts committee," he said adding that they had focused on experts to access easily as they were residing in Colombo suburbs.

He said that they also wanted to include the Vice Chancellor of the Peradeniya University in the panel, but it was cancelled due to the fact he was in Kandy.

Prof. Samaranayake said that they had invited another expert who worked with Prof. Thattil but he declined to join the panel.

He declined to comment on audit queries against Prof. Thattil.

University Teachers’ wages, 1961 and 2010 and education policy

January 24, 2012, 12:00 pm , The Island.


by Usvatte-aratchi

There is much discussion about the behaviour of teachers, both at school and at university. Many older people recall, no doubt with some selective memory lapses, that in the decade of the 1950s, the work of their teachers both at school and at university was by and large without blemish and in fact exemplary. They were dedicated to their students and their teaching. They worked after hours without payment, supplementary to their wages. There was no room for private tuition as teachers did a fine job of teaching in school. Teachers whether at school or at university managed to meet their expenses with what they earned as wages and any supplementary income they had from sources other than private tuition which they did not engage in. It was never heard that teachers sought or were offered illegal and illicit payments for favours to students. There were cases where managers of Assisted Schools had cheated teachers of their due wages but neither students nor their parents were victims. There were stories of officials in the Education Department and sometimes Ministers of Education seeking illegal payments from teachers and again students were not touched by these. Teachers both at school and at university lived reasonably comfortable lives, sent their children to good schools, mostly public, and were prominent and respected citizens in their neighourhood.

Those who were in university in the humanities faculties, mostly in Peradeniya, speak of a fine faculty of teachers. At least some of them were outstanding scholars and fine teachers.

In 2010, there is widespread grave dissatisfaction with teachers in both schools and universities. Teachers in schools do not teach properly in the class room. Students go out for private tuition. The same teachers as those that teach in schools conduct private tuition classes. A few well known tuition masters conduct classes in many parts of the country. Both heads of schools and teachers are accused of financial impropriety, sometimes in large amounts. A President of the Republic once publicly alleged that the Education Ministry was the second most corrupt government agency in the nation. There is a huge demand from students for tuition outside the school class room. Students who sit for the A’Level Examination for the second time do not learn in school but almost entirely in tuition classes. Whether unsatisfactory teacher behaviour in schools feeds this demand for private tuition is difficult to be certain about. There is far more severe competition for places in schools and universities now than there was in 1960 (about). Parents are far more sophisticated and far better educated in 2010 than in 1960. That perhaps drives them to get children to tuition in the hope that tuition might help the student to gain that fraction of a mark pushing him into the medical faculty from the science. Japan has a strong system of public schools. Yet the demand for juku or cram shops is very strong. One in five first year students in primary school and nearly all university-bound high-school children attend juku [The Economist, December 31, 2011]. The Republic of Korea has much the same features. It is difficult to ascertain to what degree bad teaching in schools contributes to the demand for private tuition but that it does contribute is not in doubt.

We must at the same time recall that competition to enter some government schools is intense. It is not simply schools like Visakha Vidyalaya and D.S.Senanayake Vidyalaya which attract students but also Debarawewa Maha Vidyalaya and Central College Kuliyapitiya. Parents want to admit children to those schools because there are good teachers in them. I have heard about excellent teachers and scholars in our universities. There are good teachers and bad teachers both in schools and in universities now as there were of old. However, the noise about poor teaching drowns the piccolo high notes of praise that we hear in this cacophony.

Why bad teachers?

Many have spoken and written about ‘moral decay’ in society and among teachers to account for these changes in behaviour. I have bothered myself for long that there must be some more substantial material incentives for this alleged drastic change in behaviour on the part of teachers. A good place to begin with is the wages of teachers, both at school and at university. I imagine that if teachers are drastically less well paid now compared to of old, there would be a dramatic change for the worse in teacher’s behaviour. To establish that teachers are now less well paid than earlier, it is necessary to see changes in real wages paid to them in say around 1960 and 2010. I do not have the resources to mount that enterprise. So I sought a substitute way, rough though it be. Please note that I am interested in WAGES paid to teachers and not their total income.

The fall in real wages

of teachers

My base year for these comparisons is 1961 and the end year 2010; reasons there for will appear later. I put the figures in the following table.

[Income figures are from the Central Bank. Figures about teachers’ wages are my responsibility. I collected those for 1961 from memory and sought confirmation from knowledgeable friends. For 2010, the figures are from teachers currently in employ.]

Let me explain the numbers. Annual income per person is obtained by dividing the annual income of the nation [GDP] into the mid-year population of that year. The figures are in prices for that year. The annual wages of school teachers are what a graduate teacher was paid in his first year of appointment to that post, in fact what I was paid in 1959 when I was a school teacher for 3 months. Similarly, the wages of a university teacher are what were paid in her first year of work as a university teacher. I used a graduate teacher’s wages as indicative of teachers’ wages. One could have worked with some average of school teachers’ wages and similarly for university teachers. It raises logical and practical problems, as we will need wages over a lifetime and figures of average income of persons over some forty years of work of a teacher. With my resources these ends are not attainable. For the rough sort of argument I make, I have the necessary data, in the table above.

In columns IV and V, I show the ratio of wages to annual income per person in the country. It tells you how the wages paid to a teacher compared with the income of the average person in the country. I derived a ratio so that I can compare the figures for 1961with those for 2010. Otherwise it would have been necessary for me to express 2010 wages in 1961 prices. When I derive ratios I compare ‘pure’ numbers untrammelled by price considerations.

Let us compare now. In 1961 a school teacher was paid four and a half times the average income of a person in the country. In 2010, he was paid just a little below the average income of a person in the country. In 1961, university teachers earned ten times the average income of a person in the country, in 2010 no more than twice. There has been a sharp drop in the ratio of wages paid to teachers whether at school or at university relative to the average income of a person in the country. Relative wages of school and university teachers have fallen roughly five times over the 50 years. Consequently relative wages between school teachers and university teachers have remained roughly the same. Do you want more reasons to explain changes in the behaviour patterns of school and university teachers?

Harsha Aturupana [Treasures of the education system in Sri Lanka, Figure 3.9] pointed out that real wages of school teachers in relation to the real wages of other government servants had fallen severely between 1995 and 2002. Between those two years no other category of government employees [not even unskilled labour] had lost relative real wages as teachers did.

In most rich countries, a fresh teacher’s wages are very close to the average income of a citizen and that of a young university teacher just a tad above the average. We must not be misled by the fancy wages paid to celebrity professors in private universities. It is important to recall to that the average income of a person in rich countries is itself high and that a person can lead a reasonably comfortable life does. In our country it does not.

Why did wages [prices] fall?

Let us digress for a moment to consider why the fall in these relative differences. The major reason is the rise in the supply of persons seeking employment as teachers. In 1961, relative to demand there was a shortage of persons who could be employed as school or university teachers. The massive spread of education during the last fifty years increased the supply of persons who could qualify to apply for employment as teachers. Any increase of supply on that scale without a parallel growth in demand must result in a drastic fall in prices. That would happen to the price of mangoes or plumbers. Consequently, teachers’ wages fell. The lack of alternative employment is as important as the rise in supply. Alternative employment to teaching in school would be work in the garment industry or emigrating to Arab lands for almost slavery. Alternatives to teaching in university would be teaching in schools or clerking.

There was a policy element as well. In 1961 there were about 2.2million students enrolled in school. In 2010, this number was almost double that in 1961. There were about 30 students to a teacher in 1960 and about 18 to a teacher in 2010. The number of teachers in school in 1960 was roughly 70,000 and in 2010, 250,000. In 1960, the ratio of expenditure on education to GDP was 4.4 percent; the comparable ratio in 2010 was about 2 percent. [See Chart 3.5 in Annual Report 2010 of the Central Bank.] This society could not have achieved those high percentages of enrolment at school and expanded university education without reducing unit costs substantially. The way to cut unit costs was to keep wages of teachers down, as more than 90 percent of current expenditure on education comprises teachers’ wages. Government as the virtual monopoly employer of teachers both at school and at university and because there was a scarcity of comparably remunerative other employment in the economy, was in a position to cut relative wages of teachers with no resistance from teachers. A necessary consequence was the fall in standards of education. The minister of Higher Education who is on high gear to raise the quality of university education had better bear in mind that he cannot buy good things cheap. The World Bank’s project to raise quality in university education [IRQUE] might ponder the wisdom of Lee Kuan Yu’s bon mot that peanuts attract monkeys. Government which talks about a knowledge hub in South Asia in this country is not serious about it. Activism on the part of university teachers in 2010 is something new and long overdue. School teachers curiously do not seem to have similar plans.

The second piece of evidence on the policy emphasis of government can be read from the following table.

In the first five years 1948 to 1953, the share of government expenditure that was spent on defence was quite small, about 0.5 percent, and government was free to spend on expanding opportunities education. By 1982, the share had risen to 7.5 percent. The rapid escalation came after 1994, 28 percent in 1996 and continued to be high. Even in 2010 one year after the destruction of LTTE, that share continues to be high. In 2011, current expenditure of government allocated for defence and public order and safety was estimated to be about 20 percent and on education 10 percent. Over a long period of time the share of government current expenditure spent on education had at best stagnated while expenditure on defence had expanded. In the meanwhile personnel in both defence services and education had grown massively. Those in education suffered a fall in relative wages.

For some 15 years, we have spent twice the proportion of government current expenditure on defence and public order compared with education.

Such departures from normal may take place in any society, especially due to exigencies of war, which was our experience during the last 20 years or so. We all recognise the enormous losses this society suffered during that war in material wealth and many thousands of lives. But few are aware of the benefits foregone [therefore losses] in neglected education, as we have shown here. To continue that war pattern of expenditure now is to try to run a society on the strength of the armed forces rather than govern by discussion and consent. We must soon get back to normal. The current balance of forces in government does not permit that. The large number of ministers [nine?] dealing with education does not contain anyone of political heavy weight and The Family unfortunately does not have anyone who would pull for education against defence and public order and safety. But it would be foolish to give into expediency once again.

A comment on the fall in real income of teachers in 2010.

In 1961 it was not uncommon for a senior teacher to come to work in a jacket. Now hardly anybody does, except where they are paid to do so by the past pupils’ association. Again a few teachers possessed small motor cars: Morris Minor, Fiat 1100 and Ford Anglia. Now nobody does. They simply cannot imagine buying and running a motor car. In 1961, a new Volkswagon car cost Rs.10,000. That was about 18 months’ wages of a young university teacher. Most young university teachers bought a car in the first year of employment. I obtained the price of the cheapest Toyota car in the market today. It is a Toyota Adanza and costs Rs.3.4 million, roughly seven years wages of a young university teacher! In addition in 1961, most teachers’ children went to public schools at little cost to parents. In 2010, public schools have so fallen in quality that many university teachers send their children to private schools, if they cannot get them into one of the exceptionally good public schools. These are two major items of expenditure which reduce the real income of school and university teachers even below the ratios indicated directly.

Change in behaviour patterns of teachers

Given that scenario how would you expect teachers to act? Try every possible way to augment their incomes. Conduct tuition classes and do all that that would raise the demand for those services. Seek any means of raising incomes without breaking the law or getting trapped by law enforcement agencies. What would university teachers do? Conduct classes for external degree students. Weekends are normally spent by university teachers in these classes, often 100s of miles away from their homes. Write school text books or guides to teaching. Teach in graduate classes in their university or elsewhere, as they are paid separately for teaching graduate courses. Undertake consultancy services for outsiders, preferably foreigners, who pay well for that work. They may also be able to present these to university administrators as research and get ahead in the queue for promotions. They would also persistently demand higher wages. Without being crassly materialistic, isn’t there in the data presented here adequate explanation for the changed behaviour patterns of teachers whether in school or university?

GCE A/L-2011 results need urgent review

January 24, 2012, 7:09 pm

By Prof. R. P. Gunawardane, The Island.

Indiana State University, USA

(Formerly Secretary, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Secretary, Higher Education and IT Development, Chairman, National Education Commission, Senior Professor & Dean, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya)

I have watched with great pain of mind the events and developments that took place after the release of the results of GCE A/L Examination held in 2011. Many errors and omissions in the results have been reported and a presidential committee was appointed to look into this matter. The report of this committee has now been submitted to the President.

Of the national examinations conducted in Sri Lanka, GCE A/L examination is considered the most important and most highly competitive examination, which determines the future of our youth. Unlike in most other countries performance at this examination is the only criterion for university admission in Sri Lanka. It also serves as a criterion for admission to foreign universities and other professional/ training institutions. Over the years this examination has maintained very high international standards allowing our students to gain admission to prestigious universities all over the world. I am personally aware that our students who have done well at the GCE A/L exam are performing extremely well in the US universities.

Results of GCE A/L Exam -2011

Results of the GCE A/L examination this time have been openly challenged. It is absolutely essential to restore the public confidence in this examination as early as possible. The whole procedure of processing marks at the Examination Department should be fully investigated to understand the root of the problem. Urgent action also should be taken to prevent recurrence of such errors in the future. It must be stressed at the outset that any attempt to cover up this issue will lead to much greater repercussions and complications affecting a large number of youth in Sri Lanka. It is in this context I have been compelled to write this article.

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. Z-score method is much superior to aggregates in raking students in different streams. There are difficult low scoring subjects and relatively easy high scoring subjects at the GCE A/L exam. Z-score brings marks of the subjects to the same level so that meaningful rankings can be worked out. It has been proved that the ranking on this basis is fairer and more reliable, and it is considered the best and simplest option available to minimise discrepancies due to different subjects, number of subjects, variable marking and different curricula (old syllabus/ new syllabus).

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 UGC to implement this scheme during 2000/2001. It was successfully implemented in 2001 with two groups (one group offered 3 subjects and the other group 4 subjects) sat the GCE A/L exam. Since then this method had been in operation smoothly until 2011.

Two issues regarding the results of GCE A/L Examination held in 2011 have been highlighted.

1. Errors in district and island rankings issued by the Department of Examinations

2. Issue raised by experts regarding the formula used to calculate the Z score of a subject of the two groups (old syllabus and new syllabus) of students

Both these issues are of equal importance and it is necessary to rectify the situation without any further delay.

I have read in the newspapers that errors in rankings were due to wrong entries and processing errors done by the Department of Examinations. It is regrettable to note that independent checks/ audits have not been carried out. Is this the way national examinations are conducted in Sri Lanka? If this is true how can we accept the accuracy of the other entries and Z-scores? All the entries and the processing steps therefore should be rechecked to confirm accuracy of the results.

Secondly, the ministries involved have not used the original consultant to work out the formula to calculate the Z-score this time. Particularly, the officials of the UGC are aware of the history of the introduction of Z-score method and the consultants originally used for this purpose. In spite of this, Prof. Thattil, who designed the scheme in 2001, was not included in the committee this time. According to Professor Thattil (Island, January 13, 2012) the formula proposed by the new committee is incorrect and has complicated the A/L results issue still further.

This time the mean and variances of a subject from the old and new syllabi were pooled together to calculate the Z-score. This is a fundamental error made by the expert committee. In this type of situation two student groups should be considered as two separate populations, and then calculate the Z-score for each group separately. Then the average Z-scores of the three subjects can be used to rank students. This is the method we followed successfully in 2001 for the two groups (3- subjects and 4-subjects) we had in 2001.

Unfortunately, the presidential committee appointed to look into this matter has overlooked this important issue of using a wrong formula for the calculation of Z-scores. This has affected all the Z-scores, and the rankings worked out using these erroneous Z-scores are also incorrect. Thus, Z-scores and rankings of all the streams need to be corrected.

I read in newspapers that a teachers’ union is contemplating legal action against the Department of Examinations regarding this issue. If this happens, undoubtedly it will be a prolonged battle lasting for months if not years. Such action will lead to a serious situation where the results will be invalidated for some time. Then, the students who sat this examination will not be in a position to gain admission to any higher education institution in Sri Lanka or abroad for a considerable period of time. This is an extremely harmful and a serious situation affecting the future of our young generation. If this happens, it will be one of the most serious setbacks in the history of education in Sri Lanka. Therefore, all parties concerned should make a concerted effort to avoid this situation at any cost.

GCE A/L Exam should be held in April

There is another issue which needs the attention of education authorities urgently. During 2000/2001 we initiated action to hold the A/L exam in April instead of August due to strong reasons. We arranged A/L classes to commence in schools immediately after the O/L results were released, and the A/L exam was held for the first time in the month of April in 2002. Now it has been changed to August again for the convenience of officials disregarding all the benefits of having the exam in April. Let me explain the benefits of this change briefly.

When A/L exam is held in August, it is not possible to begin A/L classes for the fresh students who sat O/L exam in December previous year until September the following year. As a result, these students wait for nearly 9 months wasting their valuable time. Similarly after A/L exam in August the students have to wait till October next year for admission to universities. This can be avoided by commencing A/L classes in April this year and conducting the A/L exam in April 2014 and onwards. If this is implemented, those who qualify for admission to universities based on the results of this exam can be admitted to universities in the same year minimising the waiting period. This effectively saves about two which can be productively used for their higher education.

In the light of the above facts the following steps are strongly recommended:

1. Complete and comprehensive review of all the entries and processing steps of the results of GCE A/L Exam- 2011 should be carried out in the presence of observers/experts nominated by the University Grants Commission.

2. Recalculation of Z-scores should be carried out using the correct formula employed previously in 2001 in consultation with Prof. R.O. Thattil, who served as a consultant to the UGC/ Higher Education Ministry in 2001.

3. Release of the corrected results after completing (1) and (2) procedures indicated above.

4. Make necessary arrangements to conduct the GCE A/L examination in April every year with effect from 2014 and streamline the university admission process with a common academic year.

I earnestly request the Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education to give serious consideration to the above proposal and implement the same in the best interest of the nation.

(The writer may be contacted at

rpgunawardane@gmail.com)