Access to examinations amidst disasters: guidelines for conduct of examinations in emergencies; GCE (Advanced Level) and Grade 5 Scholarship Examinations 2020

The conduct of national examinations are annual routine events invariably during the cyclic months each year. However, the recent pandemic and extreme weather patterns have caused concerns which require disaster preparedness and coordinated swift responses. An event where nearly one million school children, private candidates and officials will engage in examinations countrywide utilizing over nearly 5,500 permanent structures as examination and coordinating centers require detailed planning and assessment. Examination center safety and crisis response has been planned in partnership with governmental organizations and other stakeholders. The commissioning of the National Examination Emergencies Operations Unit (NEEOps) at the national level and the District Examination Emergencies Coordination Office (DEECO) at the district level for the period of examinations will enable the implementation of operational plan for examination emergencies. These guidelines will further enhance resilience of service providers contributing to the conduct of examinations. A coordinated preparedness and response mechanism will ensure the uninterrupted conduct of examinations which will allow extracting the full potential of the candidates.