New School based Z-Score system for university admission

Based on election maifesto of the President HE Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Cabinet announced a decision to introduce a new “school-based scientific method” to select students for government universities in place of the existing district-based Z score system.

Cabinet approval has been granted for a proposal by Education Minister Dullas Alahapperuma to appoint a committee of experts to provide recommendations for the proposed system.

Minister Alahapperuma told reporters that the current Z score system that was introduced in 2001 selects students for university entrance on a 55 per cent district, 40 per cent national and 5 per cent rural basis.

The primacy given to the district level, he said, results in a disadvantage to other students in the same district. So instead of the district basis, 55 per cent will be selected on school basis, while keeping the other selection criteria unchanged.

For example, said the Minister, the cut-off mark for the Colombo district is the same for Royal College in Colombo 7 as it is for any other school in another corner of the same district which might fewer facilities in comparison.

All 3,098 schools with GCE Advanced Level programmes in the country will be categorised by an expert committee representing the Ministry of Higher Education, the Ministry of Education, the University Grants Commission and will also include other education specialists without any political intervention.

The new method will be introduced from next year onwards for 2020 A/L (for admission of students in 2021 to Universities.

Prof Sudantha Liyanage, Dean, Faculty of Technology, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, a member of the expert panel said that they will examine the current system with the past data from Department of Examinations in arriving at a new Selection system for Universities.

Read –

• How Z score is calculated for University selection in Sri Lanka
• Selections to University based on Z-score – District and Merit quotas

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