Teachers’ unions claim A/L Maths II, Bio papers contain serious errors

by Dasun Edirisinghe

Teachers’ trade unions yesterday claimed there were errors in GCE A/L examination Combined Mathematics II and Biology question papers.

Addressing a media conference at National Library Auditorium, General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers Service Union (CTSU) Mahinda Jayasinghe said that the question number 12 of the Combined Mathematics paper was wrong and the Examinations Department had corrected it through a special letter dated 07. 08. 2012.

He said that some questions in the Biology paper were not in the teachers’ guide.

"Biology teachers’ guide clearly states that there is no need to give the scientific names of some plants and animals, but it is in the GCE A/L Biology paper as a question," Jayasinghe said.

Jayasinghe said that the question No. 15 (A) in the Combined Mathematics paper I, too was erroneous. The Examinations Department should be held responsible for all those errors, he added.

Independent Lanka Teachers’ Union General Secretary Sarath Kahagalla said that the Education Ministry had become a failed institution. Students had lost faith in the public examination system, he said.

Commissioner General of Examinations W. M. N. J. Pushpakumara said that a set of answers to some of the questions in the Biology paper had been given and the students were required to select and mark the correct one.

According to the teachers’ guide there was no need to remember the names, but in this question students only had to choose the right one from a set of answers given.

Pushpakumara said that the correction regarding the question No. 12 of the Combined Mathematics II paper had been informed to the department by the professor responsible for preparing the paper yesterday.

"The Department took immediate action to inform it to examinations supervisors countrywide," the exam chief said.