Sri Lanka suspends 2024 Grade 5 scholarship exam scrutiny due to leak investigation

The scrutiny of answer scripts for the 2024 Grade 5 Scholarship Examination in Sri Lanka has been temporarily suspended due to ongoing investigations into a leak of the first exam paper.

Education Ministry Secretary J.M. Thilaka Jayasundara announced this during a media briefing today (September 20), confirming that no decisions regarding the exam results will be made until the investigations are concluded.

The alleged leak has sparked widespread concern, prompting Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Education Minister Susil Premajayantha to order a re-examination of the scholarship exam, following the investigation initiated by the Department of Examinations and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Preliminary investigations by the North Central Provincial Education Department revealed that an assistant invigilator had shared photos of the first exam paper with a group of private tutors in a social media group before the exam began.

This has led approximately 100 parents to file complaints with the Anuradhapura Police Headquarters, demanding that the exam be held again.

On September 18, 2024, a group of parents protested in front of the Department of Examinations, calling for the cancellation of the exam rather than merely disregarding the leaked questions.

The next day, Commissioner General of Examinations Amith Jayasundara revealed that three questions from the first paper were allegedly posted online via a model exam paper by a teacher from the Alawwa area.

In response to these allegations, a team of investigative officers has been dispatched to the relevant areas.

The examination, held on September 15, 2024, saw the participation of 323,879 students across 2,849 centers throughout Sri Lanka.

The Ministry of Education’s investigation, in coordination with the CID and the Department of Examinations, is ongoing, and no decisions will be made until all investigation reports are submitted.

At a press conference today, Jayasundara stated, “We do not intend to proceed with the paper marking process until we receive all the investigation results and make a decision. Until then, activities related to the release of results have been temporarily suspended.”

She further emphasized that if it is proven that the exam paper was leaked, a re-examination may be scheduled. “Legal and disciplinary action will be taken against those responsible for the leak,” she added.

The Examinations Act confirms that the Grade 5 exam was conducted under standard procedures, but the Ministry is withholding any formal decisions until the investigation is complete.

A special statement issued by the Ministry of Education on September 19, 2024, reiterated that a final decision will be made after a full investigation by both the CID and the Department of Examinations.

In light of the situation, both parents and students have been urged to remain patient while the investigations are conducted.