Video: Students, parents protest Z- score outside UGC

Thursday, 02 August 2012 14:23

A large number of parents and students affected by the Z- score muddle staged a protest march to the University Grants Commission (UGC). The protest march brought the heavy afternoon traffic to a complete standstill

Some 1,500 students and parents from various districts were seen shouting slogans against the injustice caused to them by the recently released Z-scores.

Ten students from different districts were invited to discuss their concerns with Secretary to the UGC Sunil Gamini Navaratne a short while ago while the other protesters are remaining outside.

An affected student said they were even prepared to engage in a fast unto death, if a solution is not provided by the authorities.

The protesters shouted slogans against the Ministers and the UGC holding them responsible for the predicament they were facing. ( Nabeela Hussain & Hafeel Farisz)

Click HERE to view images

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Comments

-17+35 # buffaloa citizen 2012-08-02 14:33

Hope these students will not become tomorrow's LTTE .

-1+3 # Fusion 2012-08-02 19:18

If hopelessness goes too far, then that may very well happen. There are root causes to almost all terrorist movements. These kids are the future of our country, but all their hard work down the drain!

-7+7 # Kiris Baba Amaray 2012-08-02 22:30

Exactly correct.

-4+39 # Sagarika 2012-08-02 14:35

Miracle of Asia!

-26+10 # Bitter Truth 2012-08-02 15:31

It is unfair on the part of clear cut scorers, that means the cream of the lot, let them go to the Uni first, then we can see about these doubtful ones later. Please do not waste the time of the students!!!!

-3+7 # Bikechain Bubbleband 2012-08-02 22:32

No. until a reasonable solution is done, let the students be on the streets, nothing wrong fighting for the rights.

-1+3 # matta 2012-08-03 00:16

ah yes.. and i suppose by 'cream of the lot' you meant ones with BBB, BBC (and even CCC in some districts) over AAA, AAB...

-2+2 # Doubtful 2012-08-03 04:29

You selfish idiot

-1+39 # Nodrog 2012-08-02 15:36

The Z score fiasco has gone on long enough. We have 2 ministers for education and still cant get it right. Time for excuses to stop and heads to roll

-26+19 # Nari Sabry 2012-08-02 15:50

Breeding future leaders of the JVP

-0+8 # mahajana 2012-08-02 16:02

from the ginger rebelling......

-3+7 # Jagath Leanagej 2012-08-02 16:03

Beeri aliyanta weena gayanwa karanawa wage wedak. UGC eke modayanta owa ehune ne wage edeevi.

-17+14 # Professor 2012-08-02 16:06

The Supreme court gave a ruling for the correction of the error in calculating the z-score. The UGC and the Ministry of higher education has to abide by the ruling and send the deserving students to the university according to the newly calculated z-scores.. If the protesters are sent instead of the actually deserving students an injustice, a violation of human rights and contempt of court is being done for the rightful students..

-1+2 # Roamer 2012-08-02 21:47

The thing is, majority of the protesters ARE deserving what they ask for!! the court gave the order to calculate two z scores, true! and it IS fair. but is it fair to rank them together, when they have two separate z scores??and it IS NOT ordered in the court order!! going down of average 2nd and 3rd shy students who get selected to medical college from 60% to 27% shows how unfair the RANKING SYSTEM is!!

-2+0 # Professor 2012-08-04 10:39

From past records you can observe that other than for Medicine, it has always been including for the Engineering faculty the majority of students that entered the universities were from the first (!st) attempt students.

-1+2 # Lakshitha 2012-08-02 21:56

Mr. Professor, try to act like a professor. These students are not trying to challenge the court order.
The supreme court only ordered to prepare two separate lists of z scores. It also ordered to use a correct mathematical method to take the students into the universities. And that correct statistical method is not what these people have followed now. The authorities have made a huge mess. If you are actually a professor, you must be able to understand that. It is that very simple fact that these students are trying to point at. Even according to the past statistics, it is very obvious that these students have been ignored without any justice. All the professors in this country, except YOU, have accepted it. Study this problem and try to understand this simple fact Mr. False Professor...!!!

-3+0 # Academic 2012-08-04 10:47

Don't generalise saying that all the professors in this country have accepted what you are saying. The purpose of preparing two sets of z-scores for two different populations is that they can be compared and used in one list. That was the method that was used in 2001 when there was a syllabus change.

-1+2 # matta 2012-08-03 00:10

how stupid are you? go check the banners and stuff... the way it is now, the suitable ones will miss out on engineering, medicine while less suited students (with results such as BBB, BBC) will get a 'pina chance' to enter those faculties!!

-1+0 # Lecturer 2012-08-04 10:58

Previous five (5) years' means of subjects especially Combined mathematics, Biology, Physics and Chemistry should be checked and see whether there is a huge variance in them in comparison to 2011 repeaters mean. If there is an error the problem could be solved. Otherwise the new syllabus students examination papers have been unduly difficult or all of a sudden the repeaters have done really well.

-2+2 # podda 2012-08-03 04:04

In the first place, the UGC and and Ministry of higher education made a mistake and virtually destroyed the future of 1000s of students. The court should have asked the UGC officials and ministry to pay compensations to all effected students.

With this ruling the deserving students may get the opportunity to go to Uni. But all the other students have been punished by asking them to prepare for the exam in just two weeks. Is that the punishment given to the UGC and ministry of education? Where is the accountability?

No wonder you are a professor in SL.

-2+0 # Attorney 2012-08-04 11:47

The Supreme court of Sri Lanka did the correct thing to compensate the deserving 10,000s of students by telling the UGC and the Dept of Examinations to recalculate the z-scores. There are no two words about it.
The purpose of the highly competitive A/L exam is to choose the deserving students to go to the universities not everybody. The 3rd shy repeaters who are unable to prepare for the exam this year are allowed to sit next year (2013) also.

The accountability is the chairman of the UGC has to show cause why he should not be charged for contempt of court for delaying in implementing the Supreme court order

.

-2+8 # CW 2012-08-02 16:37

why did the experts like " Devasiri" did not see anything wrong with this scheme earlier? Pls be aware of the opprotunists like the Paraputugamis.

-5+22 # Bandara 2012-08-02 16:38

Examination Dept and UGC made another mistake here by ranking the students from two streams (old and new syllabus) together. Old syllabus students had scored high average marks so that their Z score is low. Since the two streams were put together in ranking, old syllabus students' ranks came down. Exam Dept and UGC made mistakes in the first instance by taking the two streams together in calculating average marks, and this time by ranking the two streams based only on Z score. They should have issued rankings for the two strems separately and decide the number of students to be taken to the universities from two streams based on a criterian such as average ratio of students selected in the past 5 years from 1st attempt and 2nd or 3rd attempt. Otherwise, even if the number of students taken to the university is increased problem would not be resolved.

-2+0 # Academic 2012-08-04 11:54

In 2001 the z-scores that were prepared separately were ranked together which was correct. That was the supreme court order. There is no way of increasing the university intake as most of the universities especially Colombo Medical faculty and Moratuwa Engineering faculty are running to capacity.

-0+1 # matta 2012-08-04 14:45

correction: ranked together cause there was no other alternative(and NOT because it was the correct way).. go ask a math professor if you don't understand it...

-2+26 # lalith 2012-08-02 16:53

99% of the countries problems are created by the people these parents voted for

-4+18 # Sam 2012-08-02 16:55

These poor students, can ask for justice, but nothing will happen, as usual in Sri Lanka. Tonight the cops will move in and they will be arrested!! That is that will happen.

-0+0 # sudda, 2012-08-02 17:39

The authorities must now realize ,before seeking advises , the limitations of some expert stat profs who had not studied any mathematics in AL, and Fisrt degree.

From whole this tragedy, we can see now, we do not have any local expertise in the field of Statistics.

-0+0 # Lecturer 2012-08-02 17:47

Other than for Medicine including for Engineering faculty the majority has been the 1st attempt students who entered the universities for the past several years. Therefore just because a bunch of repeaters and so called parents protested the UGC should not forget about the Supreme court ruling when an injustice was done to the rightful students and they highlighted the error made in calculating the z-score.

-0+2 # Supun Perera 2012-08-02 17:48

In a crazy, corrupt, lawless Banana Republic where Jokers rule the Country, before long the entire Education system in the Country will crash. God save former democratic Sri Lanka.

-0+2 # kan 2012-08-02 18:07

In spite of so many protests,court casex, media reports and condemnation, these two ministers still holding on to their posts, what s shame!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!

-1+1 # zosa 2012-08-02 18:17

keep new exams for all the students, give 6-8 months to prepare. make a new correct system for university entrance..

-1+2 # Rock 2012-08-02 18:25

Why the hell a new system was implemented at first place? seems like SB wanted to show colors to Mr.MR and spoiled the soup of thousands.

-0+2 # Calistus Jayatilleke 2012-08-02 20:44

It is high time for the educated sons and daughters to question their parents as to whom they voted and tell them not to repeat such foolish mistakes in future elections. They should resolve to keep these hooligan, thuggish, uneducated and inefficient, greedy politicians from being re-elected to any positions of power. And that would be the only solution for this fiasco.

-1+1 # CHANDRAPALA 2012-08-02 21:25

Finally, the President will hold a meeting with the parents of affected students. This is the usual procedure the government follow to solve the problems which have been created due to their own fault.

-0+7 # ceylon 2012-08-02 21:41

Anyone could see the future of SL. There is not a single week without any protests.

-0+1 # shantha madawela 2012-08-02 22:14

Do they think, will it work?.. Ony a joke....

-1+1 # matta 2012-08-03 00:15

the point of it is to raise awareness... about the situation.. since ALL media has distorted the true situation (i commend dailymirror for uploading an unedited video)...all media is just trying to give the impression to people that repeaters are not happy with the court's decision... when actually what they are asking is for '2 z scores, 2 ranks'!! after all, the court itself ordered to consider the 2 groups as 2 distinct populations!

-3+1 # nalaka weerakody 2012-08-02 23:09

what is my opinion is Z score is the correct way in selcting students. students who take subjects which are deem to be difficult will stand more chance than students who are sitting for easy subjects and getting AAA

-1+1 # Don 2012-08-03 06:48

Just can not understand how this much of discrepancy has occurred in the two different ways of Z score calculation. Normally, only the borderline cases should have changed. It seems either the question papers of old syllabi were extremely easy or/and the students who sat the old syllabi are extremely knowledgeable and hence scored very high marks to give high mean values and relatively high SDs. As a result the Z scores came crumbling down when the two sets are separated. Any way, it is only justifiable to compare Z scores of students within one set of students and not within two sets of students as the raw mark distributions depend not only on the difficulty level of question papers but on the distribution of the level of knowledge of students as well which obviously will be way different for the two sets of students.

-0+0 # Lecturer 2012-08-04 11:54

This problem will come up in 2012 A/L exam also if this is not for a calculation error in calculating the mean of the distribution. Best solution is to have only the new syllabus examination papers for repeaters as well. Then there won't be a question of level of difficulty of exam papers and level of knowledge of students.

-1+0 # MalcomX 2012-08-03 07:51

Nationalize SITAM and absorb to the University System.
Covert NSBM as a State run University. Only then these students, whose right for free education is deprived, can be absorbed to the University System.

.

-2+4 # kvk 2012-08-03 08:54

do not delay cut off mark and uni entrance. please! please!! please!!!

-1+1 # Ralph Anthony Kernr 2012-08-03 14:30

the 2 Jokers Education Minister and Higher Minster, still insist that the Z score is correct.

-1+2 # Azmi 2012-08-03 15:55

give useful solutions to student don't forget they are wealth of the nation

-0+1 # amara 2012-08-04 13:14

Ane ape lamainta yana kalak.Ayeth 71 wage weida?

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