New online system for grade five scholarships

The Education Ministry has taken measures to provide schools for those who qualify the 2020 grade five scholarship examinations, through an online method.

The applications have already been called from parents the schools have chosen. Other relevant details included in the applications will be uploaded by the school principals to the online system.

The process of uploading the data should be completed in Sinhala or Tamil medium before December 24.

The grade five scholarship examinations have always aided the students since 1952, by giving them an opportunity to enter better facilitated schools – especially those from low income families.

“It was possible to conduct the scholarship examination successfully this time while facing the challenge of COVID in the country and 47,193 students out of the total 326,264 students who sat for the exams have qualified to apply for new schools,” Education Minister G. L. Peiris said.

The programme was launched on December 10 under the patronage of Professor G.L. Peiris. This online system to facilitate students was launched by the Education Ministry in collaboration with Mobitel, with a cost of Rs. 7.5 million rupees.

The platform would provide an easy to use and digitised solution for the provision of short-listing schools for eligible students and the Education Ministry intended to continue using this method as well.

The new online system includes a completely automated application management and selection process; elimination of the paperbased process, and added convenience for parents, schools and the Ministry.