Exams Department and CID launch probe into grade 5 scholarship paper leak

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Education has issued a special statement regarding the controversy surrounding the alleged leakage of the Grade 5 Scholarship examination paper.

The Department of Examinations and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) have both launched investigations into the incident, focusing on the first paper of the Grade 5 Scholarship exam, held on September 15, 2024.

The Commissioner General of Examinations, Amith Jayasundara, revealed that three questions from the first paper were allegedly posted online via a model exam paper by a teacher from the Alawwa area.

Preliminary investigations conducted by the North Central Provincial Education Department further revealed that an assistant invigilator had shared photos of the exam paper with private class teachers in a social media group before the exam began.

In response to these allegations, a team of investigative officers has been dispatched to the relevant areas, and a final decision will be made once their report is received.

Jayasundara stated that if the questions were indeed leaked, they would be disregarded during the marking process.

Meanwhile, nearly 100 parents filed complaints at the Anuradhapura police headquarters, calling for the entire examination to be held again.

On September 18, 2024, a group of parents also protested in front of the Department of Examinations, demanding the cancellation of the exam rather than disregarding only the leaked questions.