Sri Lankan tutor arrested for sharing O/L English paper

Sri Lanka Police reported that this morning (May 12), they arrested a tutor from the Katugastota area in Kandy for sharing the General English question paper of the GCE Ordinary Level (O/L) exam on WhatsApp.

This arrest came after a complaint from the Examinations Commissioner General about the paper’s circulation.

Preliminary investigations show that the tutor shared the question paper on a WhatsApp group with 1,025 members.

The General English exam was on May 9, 2024, with paper distribution scheduled for 8:30 AM.

However, the tutor released the paper on WhatsApp around 9:11 AM. The assistant class teacher arrested is due in court today (May 12).

Statements from Examinations Department officials have been recorded.

The 2023 GCE (O/L) exams began on May 6, 2024, and continue until May 15, 2024.

Police confiscated the mobile phones of the Hasalaka English tutor and his mother for sharing the exam paper. Statements were taken from them.

Examinations Commissioner General H.J.M.C. Amith Jayasundara filed a complaint with the CID due to various irregularities in ongoing O/L exams.

Irregularities occurred at exam centers in Colombo’s Kotahena and Hasalaka. Some candidates attempted to access English paper answers via smartphones, which were confiscated by invigilators.

The Commissioner General reported these incidents to local police stations.