School money to renovate Elephant Pass station

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena wants to renovate and re-name the Elephant Pass railway Station as Senahasaka Thotupola when train services between Kilinochchi and Jaffna are restored.

For this purpose, he wants to utilise Rs. 15.5 million collected from teachers and pupils countrywide. His proposal has been accepted and the ministry is now in consultation with the Sri Lanka Army to ascertain whether its engineering troops can undertake the construction of the railway station. The designs for the new railway station will be provided by the Ministry of Transport.

Simplified Grade Five Scholarship Examination in 2014 

By Aisha Nazim- December 30, 2013 

A tentative decision has been made to conduct a simplified version of the Grade Five Scholarship Examination in the year 2014, and a model examination question paper (of the simplified version) will be issued to school teachers by the end of January if the decision is confirmed, the Education Ministry said.

Addressing a media briefing, Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena stated that there is a proposal to present a simpler version of the scholarship examination starting from next year, before completely changing the components of the examination in 2016. Also clarifying reports about the scholarship exam being abolished in a couple of year's time, he stated that there is plan to abolish the examination, and reaffirmed that it will only be re-made instead.

Meanwhile, Examinations Commissioner W.M.N.J. Pushpakumara also addressing the press conference said that teachers will be presented with a model question paper of the revised examination paper, if the educational authorities do agree to simplify the scholarship during the following year itself.