•  A-Level paper marking to start on 3 September
• Nursing degree mooted

Paper marking for this year’s (2026) Grade Five Scholarship Examination began yesterday (20), the Examinations Department said. The Examinations Commissioner General Indika Kumari Liyanage said that the paper marking process will continue until 25 August. The Examination was held on 9 August at 2,723 examination centres across the country. The results of the Examination are expected to be released within one month.

Meanwhile, paper marking for the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (A/L) Examination is scheduled to begin on 3 September.

Elsewhere, Prime Minister and Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya stated that pathways should be created for all children to progress towards obtaining a degree, with subjects appropriately structured within the education system being created through the new education reforms, rather than focusing solely on the existing education system. The Premier made these remarks at a discussion held on Wednesday (19) at Parliament. The discussion focused particularly on expanding nursing education beyond a diploma to enable students to pursue a degree, as well as establishing the necessary higher education facilities to support this progression. Attention was also given to the expeditious submission of the report of the committee appointed for this purpose and to developing an educational pathway for students to obtain a nursing degree. Dr Amarasuriya stated: “Within the new education reforms, pathways are being developed through both academic and vocational education for children to obtain degrees and enter professions. We need to understand that these are two different pathways, with different objectives. However, in providing degree-level education in nursing, the necessary measures must be taken to ensure the development of the health system, the education system, and the quality of the nursing profession. Similarly, under the new education reforms, the education system should be structured so that, through vocational education, students can pursue higher education in other professions in the health sector, such as caregiving and elderly care.”