Court Rejects Bid to Postpone Sri Lanka’s A/L Exam

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Court of Appeal today (23) dismissed a petition filed by a group of students seeking an order to postpone the upcoming G.C.E. Advanced Level (A/L) Examination by two months, refusing leave to proceed with the case.

The order was delivered when the petition was taken up before a bench comprising President of the Court of Appeal Justice Rohantha Abeysuriya and Justice Priyantha Fernando.

The ruling was announced by Justice Abeysuriya with the concurrence of Justice Fernando.

The petition had been filed by nine students scheduled to sit the Advanced Level Examination and was initially considered by the Court of Appeal on July 16.

Appearing on behalf of the petitioners, Attorney-at-Law Bhoopathi Kahatuduwa argued that Ministry of Education circulars stipulate a mandatory number of school days that must be completed during an academic year.

He told court that schools had not functioned properly due to the government's decision to declare Wednesdays public holidays during the period of the fuel crisis, as well as disruptions caused by Cyclone Ditwah.

Representing the respondents, Solicitor General Viraj Dayaratne informed court that approximately 378,000 students had registered to sit the forthcoming Advanced Level Examination.

He pointed out that only nine students had come before court seeking a postponement of the examination.

The Solicitor General further submitted that students are generally required to maintain at least 80 percent attendance in school to be eligible to sit examinations through their respective schools.

He also disclosed that one of the student petitioners had recorded a school attendance rate of only 7.2 percent.

Dayaratne emphasized that postponing the Advanced Level Examination would cause serious disruptions to a range of subsequent academic processes, including university admissions.

After considering the submissions made by both parties and examining the facts presented before it, the Court of Appeal decided to dismiss the petition without granting leave to proceed, effectively clearing the way for the Advanced Level Examination to be held as scheduled.