Health & Education Research series No.200
            Copyright © June 2019
            Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka
            ISBN 000-000-0000-00-0
            National Library and Documentation Services Board -Cataloguing-In-Publication Data
              Ashani Abayasekara
                  Sri Lanka’s Grade Five Scholarship Examination: 
                  An Evaluation of its Effectiveness and Relevance
                  Left Behind in Sri Lanka - Colombo: 
                  Institute of Policy Studies of Sri  Lanka, 2019 
                  36p.; 28 cm. - (Health & Education Research Series; No. 200)
                  ISBN 000-000-0000-00-0
                  i. 331.544095493 DDC23                     ii.  Title
                  iii. Series
                  1.  xxxxx
                  2. xxxxxxx
                                                                                          Ashani Abayasekara is Research officer 
                                                                                          at IPS with research interests in labour 
                                                                                          economics, economics of education, 
                                                                                          development economics, and 
                                                                                          microeconometrics. She holds a BA in 
                                                                                          Economics with First Class Honours 
            Please address orders to:                                                     from the University of Peradeniya and a 
                                                                                          Masters in International and 
            Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka                                      Development Economics from the
            100/20, Independence Avenue, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka                             Australian National University.
                                                                                          ashani@ips.lk
            Tel: +94 11 2143100  Fax: +94 11 2665065
            Email: ips@ips.lk
            Website: www.ips.lk
            Blog ‘Talking Economics’: www.ips.lk/talkingeconomics
            Twitter: @TalkEconomicsSL
            Facebook: www.facebook.com/instituteofpolicystudies
            II
                                                                             Sri Lanka’s Grade Five Scholarship Examination: 
                     INSTITUTE OF POLICY STUDIES OF SRI LANKA
                                   Health & Education Research Series
                                                  No.
                                                200
                  Sri Lanka’s Grade Five Scholarship Examination: 
                  An Evaluation of its Effectiveness and Relevance 
                                        ASHANI ABAYASEKARA
                                               June 2019
                                                                                             III
                      Health & Education Research series No.200
                 Table of Contents
                          1 Introduction                                                                                                         1
                          2 School System, Primary Education Curriculum, and the Scholarship Exam                                                2
                               2.1 School System                                                                                                 2
                               2.2 Primary Education Curriculum                                                                                  4
                               2.3 Grade Five Scholarship Exam                                                                                   4
                          3 Data and Methods                                                                                                     5
                               3.1 What are the Chances of Entering Good Schools?                                                                5
                               3.2 Which Schools Perform Better at the Scholarship Exam?                                                         5
                                    3.2.1 Ordinary Least Squares (OLS)                                                                           6
                                    3.2.2 Ordered Logit Model (ORL)                                                                              7
                               3.3 Are there Adequate Quality Primary Teachers and are they Distributed Equally?                                 9
                               3.4 How Valid is the Scholarship Exam as a Predictor of Intellectual Ability?                                     9
                               3.5 What are the Perceptions of the Exam among Recent Participants?                                               9
                          4 Results: Secondary Data Analysis                                                                                    11
                               4.1 Trends in Scholarship Exam Participation, Performance, and School Transitions                                11
                                    4.1.1 Exam Participation                                                                                    11
                                    4.1.2 Exam Performance                                                                                      11
                                    4.1.3 School Transitions                                                                                    12
                               4.2 Why has the Scholarship Exam Failed in Achieving its Intended Objectives?                                    14
                                    4.2.1 Low Admissions in Grade Six based on Exam Performance                                                 14
                                    4.2.2 Inadequate Financial Aid                                                                              14
                                    4.2.3 Poor Performance of Schools for which the Exam is Most Relevant                                       14
                                    4.2.4 Poor and Unequal Distribution of Teacher Quality                                                      18
                                    4.2.5 Shortcomings in Identifying Intelligent Students                                                      19
                          5 Results: Primary Data Analysis                                                                                      27
                               5.1 Compulsory Nature of Exam                                                                                    28
                               5.2 Exam Preparation                                                                                             28
                                    5.2.1 School-Level Preparation                                                                              28
                                    5.2.2 Preparation at Tuition Classes                                                                        29
                               5.3 Exam Content and Validity                                                                                    31
                               5.4 The Exam’s Positive and Negative Consequences                                                                31
                               5.5 Way Forward                                                                                                  33
                                    5.5.1 Reduce the Content of the Exam Syllabus                                                               33
                                    5.5.2 Change the Content and Type of Questions                                                              33
                                    5.5.3 Lower the Cutoff Marks                                                                                33
                                    5.5.4 Postpone the Exam                                                                                     33
                                    5.5.5 Remove the Compulsory Nature of the Exam                                                              34
                                    5.5.6 Increase the Availability of Good Quality Schools                                                     34
                          6 Conclusion and Policy Implications                                                                                  35
                          References                                                                                                            38
                          Appendices                                                                                                            41
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