Students sitting O/L exam eligible to sit A/L exam: AVK

Minster of Education, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, this week said arrangements would be made for all students who sit the GCE Ordinary Level (O/L) exam, to be eligible to sit the Advanced Level exam under the proposed reforms.

He made these observations at a ceremony to distribute school equipment to Home Science students from 150 selected schools.

"Now we are in a period of transition with regard to Education reforms. We hope to mobilise more students into the Science and Maths disciplines. We hope to have less students in the Arts stream. We hope to go for a knowledge-based Education system in the future', he said.

"There needs to be an equilibrium between job opportunity and the Education. As there is no modern Education system in our country, our undergraduates are always on the roads. We have to reorient our indigenous systems of Education in keeping with the changing Education modules of the world," he said.

"We are in the process of making changes to achieve this. There are employment opportunities within the Tourist sector. However, there is a shortage of trained manpower. Now, if we develop the Housekeeping training sector, there would be a solution to provide the required youths for the industry," he said.

"We have a package to offer under the slogan, 'Nearest School is the Best', for which we hope to update schools to give a wholesome Education to children to their contentment. We need to improve the physical and human development needed for the success of this programme," he added