By: Isuru Parakrama
November 19, Colombo (LNW): The Supreme Court has issued an interim order halting the release of results for the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination conducted on September 15 this year.
This decision follows allegations of irregularities, including a purported leak of three questions in the first paper prior to the exam.
The court’s directive extends to suspending the evaluation of answer sheets and annulling the authorities’ decision to award full marks for the disputed questions.
Additionally, the issuance of cut-off marks for student admissions to prestigious schools based on the exam’s results has been temporarily halted.
These actions stem from multiple fundamental rights petitions filed, urging the cancellation of the examination due to the alleged breach of fairness and transparency.
The court has permitted the hearing of four such petitions, underscoring the gravity of the matter.
During the proceedings, the bench directed Additional Solicitor General Viraj Dayaratne, representing the respondents, to explore the feasibility of invalidating the first paper and conducting a re-examination to restore credibility to the process.
The Supreme Court has scheduled further consideration of these petitions for December 02 December, providing an opportunity to deliberate on whether the contested paper should be redone and other measures to address the concerns raised.
