Late News

Special exemptions for tsunami hit A/L students

GCE Advanced Level candidates in tsunami affected districts will receive certain exemptions on school project work to compensate for the circumstances under which they have to face the examination in June.

Additional Secretary M.G.T. Navaratne said they have proposed maximum benefits for the disadvantaged students in the tsunami districts but there was no plan to postpone the exam further.

"We will conduct the exam as planned from June 6 to July 1," he said adding that there has been no requests to the Ministry or the Examinations Department to postpone the exam. The individual and group project work as well the school based assessment grades which have made compulsory from 2005, go on record in a special booklet provided by the Examinations Department along with their final exam results.

"The project grades are basically meant to give some insight to the special talents and skills of students and is career related. These grades will have no bearing on university admission," Examinations Commissioner Mahinda Wijayasiri said.

There were about 30 schools with GCE A/L classes out of the 174 schools destroyed in the tsunami. The Ministry launched a special programme with the help of Western province schools, headed by Nalanda College, to help affected AL students to cover the syllabus before June.

The program involved distribution of notes and special classes while the Ministry enroled some of the students in other non-affected chools in the area. At the time of the tsunami on December 26, these students had completed three terms of the first academic year.

The examination was postponed from April to June, changing the initial arrangement to hold two exams, one in April for all students and another later for tsunami candidates. The examinations commissioner said the number of candidates registered for this year's exam has increased slightly over 2004. This year the Department has received 245,657 applications, a little over 5000 as against 240,653 in 2004. The number of school candidates this year is 197,088.

The Department has increased the number of Exam centres to 1785, with 35 new ones.

'Housemaids in Saudi deserve enhanced wage'

Lanka will negotiate with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for an increased salary of SR 600 for its housemaids from June.

"These maids are receiving SR 400 at present deserve an enhanced wage in the present circumstances," the Lankan Consul General in Saudi Arabia, A.M.J. Sadiq told the Daily News.

Sadiq who will assume duties as Lankan ambassador in Riyadh early next month, said Lanka would supply skilled domestic aides and in return expect an enhanced salary for the benefit of the maids who come there for employment.

Referring to the relocation of the counsalate from Al Salama district, Sadiq said that it was done to offer better services in a cosy environment.

"The new place is strategically located in the heart of the town, in the vicinity of the community school, and in proximity to Sri Lankan settlements in the city, he said. Around 150,000 of Lankan population in the Kingdom live in the Western province.

The diplomat said that the construction of the labour wing of the new consulate costing Rs. 1.6 million was financed by a Lankan expatriate Shahul Hameed Salih, while Dr. Mohideen Mahroof spent Rs one million for the safehouse of the distressed housemaids who seek the mission's help when they are in trouble.