Drop in science results

Dailymirror

Education Minister Bandula Gunawardane, yesterday, faulted university  academics for what he described as ‘setting question papers outside the  scope of the science and math syllabuses’, for the last G.C.E. (Advanced Level) Examination. Mr. Gunawardane told Daily Mirror that both school and private candidates  had found it difficult to answer such questions, and eventually, it had led to  a drop in results.  He said that only around 40 percent of the students who  sat the examination in these two streams had passed. The minister stressed that questions should be set so that they would  be easy for students to fathom. The Education Ministry has already instructed the Department of Examinations to maintain open communication with question  paper setters, and instruct them to stick to the framework of the  syllabuses in future. “We have done this on the past two occasions. Yet the university  academics who set the papers have ignored it.  They have to be  mindful of the syllabuses and the number of periods allotted for  teaching them. Also, they should give mind to the textbooks,  model questions and answers available to students. In the commerce  stream, our instructions had been followed. Therefore as many as  72 percent of the students passed the examination this time,” said Mr. Gunawardane. Compared to international examinations, he said, Sri Lanka’s Ordinary  Level and Advanced Level Examinations are too advanced for the students. “We want to encourage students to choose science and math for their  Advanced Level studies.  Currently, only 21 percent of the students  choose these two streams. It should be increased to 40 percent.   The number opting for the commerce stream should be upped from  the present 27 percent to 35 percent. As many as 51 percent of students  select the arts stream,” he said. The Ven. Yalwela Pannasekara, the president of Sri Lanka  United Teachers’ Union said the quality of Sri Lanka’s examinations  was universally recognised, and, therefore, it was not advisable to  make the question papers easier.  “It will increase the number of students who pass the examination,  but the quality will be questionable,” he said. (Kelum Bandara)

‘Z – Score’ cut off marks released

February 10, 2013, 10:40 pm , The Island

by Dasun Edirisinghe

The much delayed ‘Z–score’ cut–off marks, for admission of students to universities, based on the GCE (Advanced Level) examination 2011 results, were released online by the University Grants Commission (UGC) on Saturday night.

Secretary of the Higher Education Ministry Dr. Sunil Jayantha Navaratne told The Island that the cut-off marks had been released on the UGC website www.ugc.ac.lk as it had already been delayed by one year.

Normally, in previous years, the ‘Z-score’ cut–off marks were released to the media first, Dr. Navaratne said.

University admissions, based on GCE (A/L) examination 2011, were delayed due to a Supreme Court order which stipulated that the Z-score rankings for old and new syllabi be prepared separately, following a petition filed by some students.According to the SC order, an additional 5,609 students should be admitted to universities and the total intake increased to 28,000 with those additional students.

Normally, the students were admitted to universities in October, but the new intake could be admitted only by the end of March, Dr. Navaratne said.

He said that the third batch of leadership training programme would commence tomorrow. Two batches had successfully completed the programme.

Cartoon of the day

Dailymirror

Uni admission: Standardisation going out

 Dailymirror

The district quota system introduced under the standardization of university admissions is presently under review for the introduction of a novel system in conformity with recommendations by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), officials said.

The standardization of admission criteria was introduced in 1973/74, and it was roundly opposed by the Tamil polity. Political analysts even cited it as a reason, among others, for the advent of Tamil militancy.

Currently, 40 percent of students are admitted in island wide merit, 55 percent on district quota and five percent on the least developed district quota.
An official of the University Grants Commission (UGC) said that the number of students to be admitted on district quota is still determined according to the 1993 population of the country. The official who wished to remain anonymous said that the quotas allocated to each district did not tally with the subsequent population changes.

“It was argued at that time that students from the northern districts including Jaffna were at the receiving end after the introduction of the quota system. However, the population of the north has dropped today. Yet, the northern districts still enjoy the same quotas determined according to the 1993 population. At that time, there were more than 700,000 people in Jaffna. It has come down to 400,000 today,” the official said.

Also, the official said though the Colombo population had increased both due to natural growth and migrations, it enjoyed a proportionately low quota in university admissions.

The LLRC in its report had recommended the appointment of an experts committee to do with the quota system for a merit based system. Recently, the National Action Plan for the Implementation of the LLRC Recommendations, in a report to the diplomatic community in Colombo, informed that a committee had been established to work in this regard. A period of two years has been stipulated for the UGC to finalize action on the issue.

Asked for a comment, Higher Education Ministry Secretary Dr. Sunil Jayantha Navaratne said that a new system would be implemented gradually without causing injustice to any community.

“It cannot be done overnight. A gradual approach is actually needed for it,” he said.

Professor R. O. Thatil who introduced the Z-score marking system for Advanced Level Examinations, also stressed the need for gradual doing away with the district quota system.

“Once a fully pledged school network is established throughout the country, there is no need for a district quota. We can abolish the system gradually,” he said. (Kelum Bandara)

First woman head of UGC takes over

February 1, 2013, 9:25 pm , the island

by Dasun Edirisinghe

The country’s first woman to be appointed head of the University Grants Commission, Prof. Kshanika Hirimburegama assumed duties yesterday morning.

Prof. Ms. Hirimburegama succeeded Prof. Gamini Samaranayake, who would return to the Political Science Department of the Peradeniya University.

Prof. Hirimburegama joined the Botany Department of the Colombo University as a lecturer in 1990. She received a double promotion, as the Assistant Professor, at the age of 38 years. She promoted as a professor when she was 41 and Senior Professor at 49.

She served as a member of the UGC and was the founder of the Magampura Agrarian Technology and Social Science Institute in Hambantota. Prof. Hirimburegama played a major role in launching degree and postgraduate programmes in tissue culture and is the author of five books and 35 research papers.

Prof. Hirimburegama served as the General Secretary of the National Academy of Sciences in 2006 and 2007, President of the Institute of Biology and Secretary of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science.

During her tenure as the Vice Chancellor of the University, from 2008, the Colombo University was ranked as 2,000 in the first 7,000 universities in World.

An old girl of the Visakha Vidyalaya Colombo 04, Prof. Hirimburegama is the daughter of Dr. Punchi Bandara Sannasgala, an academic researcher on Sinhala language, Sinhala literature, Pali and Sanskrit.

UGC seeks SC approval to adjust student selection

January 30, 2013, 10:38 pm

by Chitra Weeraratne,the island

The University Grants Commission (UGC) yesterday filed papers in the Supreme Court seeking a slight adjustment to the selection of students for practical/aptitude tests, to determine their eligibility to be admitted to the University for the Academic year 2011/2012.

The Supreme Court, on Sept. 12, 20012, ordered the UGC to admit 5,609 students in addition to the normal intake of 21,500. The formula approved by the Supreme Court for the selection of students, suggested the holding of practical/aptitude tests for the subjects for which such tests had been held for the past five years.

However, subsequently, the UGC realised that in some districts, only a few students had obtained the pass marks to be called for the practical, aptitude tests.

The UGC sought the permission of the Court to take students from other districts to make up for the shortage to meet the legal requirement of 5,609 admissions for the academic year, 2011/2012.

The petition filed by instructing Attorney-at-law Gowri Thevarasa will be called before the Court, shortly.

The original fundamental rights violation application in respect of University Admissions was filed by a group of students, making the Commissioner General of Examination and the UGC respondents.

Academics welcome reduction of university admission age

January 28, 2013, 10:08 pm ,the island

by Dasun Edirisinghe

 Several academics yesterday welcomed Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake’s recent proposal to reduce the age of admissions to universities to 16.

President of the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri told The Island that it was very important to reduce it to at least 17 years.

However, Dr. Dewasiri said it was not the FUTA’s view, but his personal opinion.

"Our students waste several years in school before entering universities," he said adding that it should be reduced by several years.

Dr. Dewasiri said that students completed their postgraduate degrees by the age of 25 even in India whereas in Sri Lanka by the time a first degree was completed students were around that age.

Former Vice Chancellor of the Peradeniya University Prof. Sarath B. S. Abeykoon said that considering the present state, school education in Sri Lanka was a topic that should be thoroughly discussed as the system certainly needed a complete overhaul.

He said that the total length of schooling in Sri Lanka was, (whether one includes the time spent at Universities or not) in comparison, higher than that of many developed countries.

"This results in our population joining the work force later than those in the developed world, thus effectively reducing the total output of the country, as we are continually losing the best productive years of our youth," Prof. Abeykoon said.

Prof. Abeykoon said "I believe there is an urgent need to adequately address the time period of schooling, at the present time."

Minister Dissanayake said at a recent function that the Higher Education Ministry would hold discussions soon with a view to reducing the age of admission to universities by minimising the unnecessary waste of students’ time after national examinations.

Secretary to the Ministry Dr. Sunil Jayantha Navaratne said that they would initiate a dialogue soon to do so.

Sri Lankan students thus wasted about three years between Grade One and the university, Dr. Navaratne said adding that it had resulted in students having to study in universities until they reached their mid twenties.

He said that in most other countries students graduated from the university by the age of 22.

If the waste of time could be reduced, Sri Lankan students could enter universities at least by the age of 18, Dr. Navaratne said, adding that in Japan there was only one national level examination and students enter universities based on its results.

However, Frontline Socialist Party led Inter University Students’ Federation said that according to the present system, the students would graduate from universities at 23 or 24, but there were several reasons for the delay.

IUSF Convener Sanjeewa Bandara said that students who enter Grade 01 at the age of five would enter a university at the age of 19. It was mainly due to government’s bungling.

Citing an example, he said, the university intake based on the 2011 GCE (A/L) results was yet to be completed due to the Z–score fiasco.

"Some student batches have to spend over 6 years sometime due to closure of universities or lack of facilities," Bandara claimed.

He said that it was a joke to talk about reducing the age for university admission by a minister who failed to resolve the present problems in the system.

University administration to hold meeting with DIG

Moratuwa University clash

January 27, 2013, 10:34 pm , the island

Three student suspects face identification parade today

By Dasun Edirisinghe

Three students, following the National Diploma in Technology (NDT) at the Moratuwa University, who were arrested over the January 16 attack on engineering undergraduates, will be produced before an identification parade at the Moratuwa Magistrate’s Court today (28).

Inspector Chammika Sampath, of the Moratuwa Police, told The Island that

four NDT students were arrested in connection with the clash, but one had been released on bail last week.He said that they recorded statements from lecturers, university security officials and students.

A group of NDT students brutally assaulted a group of undergraduates at an engineering hostel on January 16 in return to the previous week’s clash between the two groups fillowing a minor argument over a motor cycle accident.

The engineering faculty and the Institute of Technology were closed indefinitely on the following day by the university administration to prevent further clashes.

Vice Chancellor Prof. Ananda Jayawardena said that the university administration would hold a special meeting with DIG, Colombo South Range today (28) to discuss the security arrangements to prevent further clashes.

He said that the investigation into the clashes, launched by the disciplinary committee, headed by a retired judge, had still not concluded its probe.

"We will not re-open the university for the two groups of students following engineering and NDT courses until the inquiry is over," Prof. Jayawardena said.

Early admissions to universities mooted

January 27, 2013, 10:32 pm , the island


By Dasun Edirisinghe

The Higher Education Ministry will hold discussions soon with a view to reducing the age of admission to universities. The Ministry’s is to minimize the unnecessary waste of students’ time after national examinations.

Secretary to the Ministry Dr. Sunil Jayantha Navaratne said that the world standard was 12 years of school education to enter universities, but in Sri Lanka it was a minimum of 13 years.

He said that the students had to spend an additional year in the GCE (Advanced Level) class, according to Sri Lanka’s education system.

After GCE (A/L) examination too, students had to wait almost one year to enter university, if selected.

Sri Lankan students thus wasted about three years between Grade One and the university, Dr. Navaratne said adding that it had resulted in students having to study in universities until they reached their mid twenties.

He said that in most other countries students graduated from the university by the age of 22.

If the waste of time could be reduced, Sri Lankan students could enter universities at least by the age of 18, the secretary said, adding that in Japan there was only one national level examination and students enter universities based on its results.

"We received several requests from parents, intellectuals and several stakeholders in the education sector to reduce the age of admission to universities," Dr. Navaratne said, adding that following those requests his ministry would initiate a discussion.

This was not an easy task that could be completed overnight and the Higher Education Ministry itself could not achieve it alone either, he said.

Shanika first woman UGC head

January 24, 2013, 10:18 pm , the island

by Nilantha Madurawela

Professor Shanika Hirimburegama was appointed as the new Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. She is the first woman to be appointed to this post.

She is currently Vice Chancellor of the Colombo University.

She will assume duties as the new head of the UGC when the incumbent UGC Chairman Professor Gamini Samaranayake retires at the end of this month.