The Scholarship Examination (also known as the Grade 5 Scholarship exam) is a highly competitive Sri Lankan examination conducted by the Department of Examinations of the Ministry of Education. It is optional for students to undertake it during the final year of primary school (Grade 5 (usually ages 9-10)). Based on the results of the exam, students could transfer to prominent national schools. This Exam is a means for gifted students from villages to move to better schools with government scholarships. Annually based on demand for individual schools, cut-off marks are set by the Ministry of Education. In recent years the exam has become extremely competitive.
Every parent likes to enroll their child to a popular good school in major cities. If they fail in the first round to enter their child to Grade 1, then their next goal would be to get a good school by preparing their child to obtain a high mark in Grade 5 Scholarship examination. In this Examination, students get direct raw mark, unlike other examinations. Therefore Grade 5 Scholarship exam may be the hardest exam in the Sri Lankan school system, considering the age of the candidates.
Rose Charities Srilanka, under its Primary Enrichment Program helps students who are from areas of poor income generation and do not have the resources and access to gain practicable knowledge to prepare them for exam by conducting Enrichment classes after schools. RCSL is not only focusing the Grade 5 students but also preparing grade 4 students in advance to sit for the Grade 5 Scholarship Exam in the year after.
In 2010 Scholarship examination, according to Ceylon Daily News (26 September 2010), 267,750 of the 315,000 students sat the Grade 5 scholarship examination and obtained 70 marks or more. Out of these 16,000 students gained admission to popular schools in the country. Students who obtained best marks will get into following popular school in major Cities in Sri Lanka.
Like last year, in 2011 RCSL is implementing the Primary Enrichment Program in 14 schools in the area with a total of 410 students in grade 5 and 11 schools with 314 students in grade 4. Our Primary enrichment classes for grade 5 came to completion in June, 2011. As a part of this enrichment classes some of the students who were unable to afford for educational materials were issued with past paper books.
# Schools Name
1 Kalaimagal Vidyalayam, Veppayadi.
2 Sri Sakthi Vidyalayam, Navithanvely
3 Annamalai Maha Vidyalayam, Navithanvely.
4 Kannagi Hindu Vidyalayam, Karaitivu
5 Saraswathy Vidyalayam, Neelawanai.
6 Maha Vishnu Vidyalayam, Pandiruppu.
7 Kalaimagal Vidyalayam, Vellavely.
8 Vipulananda Maha Vidyalayam, Malwatta.
9 G.T.M. School, Puthunagar
10 English Language Institute, Kalmunai
11 Vinayagar Vidyalayam, Addappalam.
12 Kanapathipuram Vidyalayam, Malwatta
13 At-Risk Students from Various Villages
