President Mathirpala Sirisena, during a recent speech, had informed that he is considering abolishing the grade five scholarship exam, noting that the exam has turned into a race to gain entry to the best Government school and is causing unnecessary stress for children. The announcement created mixed reactions within the public, with some commending the thought and others questioning it. While the examination itself allows a child that scores above the cut-off marks to gain access to a better school in the city, the Ministry of Education received complaints that the quality of education was somewhat deteriorating in many schools with children compelled to seek assistance from private tutors for guidance. Though President Sirisena made a statement as such, the Ministry of Education stated that the proposal was now presented to a Scholarship Review Committee for evaluation. Furthermore, the Ministry of Education also stated that alternative methods to offer scholarships for students, who are faring well in their education, will be considered in the coming years. At present, parents whose children are attending city schools have the option of submitting a letter of consent to the Department of Examination through the school’s authorities to state that they do not want their child to sit for the scholarship exam. The incumbent Government in 2016 launched a national programme to identify and develop all schools, to provide equal educational opportunities under the“Nearest School is the Best School” programme. Six hundred schools were to be selected to represent each divisional secretariat and 1,200 schools with advanced level classes that were not included in the recent development programmes, 776 schools included in the secondary schools development programmes, and 3,577 schools under the primary schools development project were to be included in the national programme.