Injustice to the candidates of external examinations

I don’t know the legality behind my act of writing about the nature of operations of the Department of Examinations in accordance with the Examination Act. I have no intention whatsoever to violate the said Act. Keeping the highest degree of secrecy and confidentiality, as  a past member of the different answer script evaluation committee, I would bring the following matter to the notice of the Honourable Minister of Education in the best interest of the candidates. 

The Department of Examinations conducts competitive examinations of different government and semi- government institutes to select candidates for various academic courses through placement tests. The marking of answer scripts is also done by  selected examiners of the Department. It is true they are very competent and  highly qualified. They maintain the highest degree of  integrity. 

But the startling fact remains --  Some chiefs of evaluation panels  already have one foot in the grave. Some are over seventies and some are over  eighties. Anyone can see they are mentally too weak. Their eye sight too, is weak. They never want to discuss  matters pertaining to the controversial points of the questions and the answer scripts. They stick to their own opinions. One need not be a  psychiatrist  to understand how they are affected with a superiority complex;  they sometimes don’t like to pay heed to other members, and they emphasise their own points even at the candiates’ cost. This will become worse if such septugenarians or octogenarians  are appointed as moderators.

I therefore appeal to the Minister of Education in all seriousness to look into this deplorable situation in the Department of Examination. The officials are very bureaucratic and under the powers vested in the Examination General by the Act,  they work according to their own  whims and fancies keeping the candidates to ransom by appointing their favourites who are in their dotage.

H.D.Dharmasekara

Formerly of the Academic Staff,

Pasdunrata National College of Education Kalutara