Forcing Vaharai students to miss GCE(OL), morally reprehensible- TNA MP

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 December 2006, 02:53 GMT]
Joint decision by Sri Lanka Ministry of Education and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to not hold the GCE Ordinary level examinations in Vaharai Educational Circuit citing unstable security situation, has brought condemnation from Batticaloa district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, S. Jeyanandamoorthy, sources said.

After discussions with Education officials, Heads of schools and the UNICEF representatives in Batticaloa Saturday the MP said: "I strongly object to this decision taken without consulting the Educational authorities and I will raise the issue with the Ministry of Education and the Commissioner of Examinations asking either to postpone the tests or to make alternate arrangements for the Vaharai candidates to sit for the exam along with the rest of the students in other parts of Sri Lanka."

Nearly one hundred students in Vaharai including those displaced from Mutur east have applied to appear for the GCE OL exam scheduled to be held on 11 December island wide.

"The SLA closure of the A15 road on 3 November has severely disrupted educational activities in Vaharai, and now the authorities are causing further harm to the future of the displaced students by not providing necessary arrangements for the students to sit for an important examination," the MP said.

"People in Vaharai has only this week managed to obtain temporary relief from food shortage. Now the students are hit with this problem," the MP said.

"UNICEF made arrangements to hold Grade 5 Scholarship examination November 11 in Vaharai along with the Educational Authorities but the SLA disrupted it by shelling Vaharai on that day too.

"The SLA has informed that the GCE OL examinations cannot be held in Vaharai area. It is impossible to bring the students to Batticaloa to sit the examination and there is no guarantee for their security too," the TNA MP added.

"Authorities have the moral obligation to provide alternate arrangements or to postpone the examinations for the Vaharai students," Jeyananthamoorthy said.

Chronology: