• Rules out changes to existing paper handling and distribution system

The Education Ministry has taken steps to ensure that the mixing up of the Physics paper during the ongoing GCE Advanced Level (A/L) examination does not affect or compromise the rest of the examination, but has ruled out the need to overhaul the existing system used to handle and distribute examination papers.

The Ministry has launched an investigation with police assistance, with a team of Education Ministry officials also assigned to support the inquiry.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (16), Deputy Minister of Education Dr Madhura Senevirathna said the incident occurred at an examination coordination centre, not at an examination centre, and that the Ministry was informed immediately after the issue was discovered. He said the examination paper had not been exposed.

"There is a standard procedure that takes place in these kinds of scenarios. First the Education Ministry should be contacted and then the officials go to that place and the necessary steps are taken. In this scenario, the Ministry was contacted and immediate actions were taken to prevent the exposure of the paper. By now an investigation has started on this. This is not going to be any issue, influence or harm on the rest of the examination," he said.

When queried as to whether there was a need to make any changes to the existing system used to handle and distribute papers, he said: "We do not see a need to make such changes."

The investigation follows the discovery of six packets containing the papers for the following day’s examination, GCE A/L Physics Paper I, at an examination coordination centre in Ambalantota. The packets had been placed inside a question paper container designated for subjects scheduled to be held on 13 August, including Music, Dancing and Agriculture. The issue was discovered when examination officials inspected the containers. Despite the mix-up, the Physics examination was conducted as scheduled on 14 August.