The Cabinet decision to conduct the G.C.E. Ordinary Level in August and G.C.E. Advanced Level examinations in December will not be implemented this year, the Secretary to the Ministry of Education Prof. Kapila Perera announced today (May 04).

Thereby, the relevant decision is expected to come into effect 2022 or 2023, he said further.

During the Cabinet meeting on Monday (April 03), the approval was given to hold the Ordinary Level and Advanced Level examinations in the months of August and December respectively.

The decision was reached with the aim of rendering the opportunities to obtain first degree qualification within a minimum time frame by minimizing the time spent on the selection process for state universities.

The government has observed that students are aged 19 or 20 years by the time they complete their school education and they are aged 25-26 years when they finally conclude their university education. This is due to the extended period spent on issuing the A/L and O/L exam results and it also leads to delays in inauguration of A/L classes and the undergraduate selection process, the government said.

Accordingly, the exam results are expected to be released within 03 months in the future, in order to reduce the total period of 45 months spent on the process to 32 months whereas providing required provisions for the same.

Several proposals 
had been tabled by the Minister of Education for taking actions to prevent the structural inconsistencies in these examination systems and the unnecessary administrative delays related to technical procedures which have led to unnecessary delays in entering the employment market completing the higher education.