This year and perhaps hereafter children will be allocated schools largely according to their intelligence/aptitude levels. 25% of the marks are given for intelligence (= capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding, and similar forms of mental activity; aptitude in grasping truths, relationships, facts, meanings, etc. – from dictionary.com) AND 25% for aptitude. (= capability; ability; innate or acquired capacity for something; talent – from dictionary.com) 

 

Once they distinguish ‘intelligence’ from ‘aptitude’ we guess the educational authorities will decide how to measure both in 5 year olds – who cannot read and write anyway. 

 

It is well known fact that till three years a child cannot memorise anything because the brain has not grown enough. So a child has 1-2 years to get prepared for this IQ test, which will largely decide whether he will go to Royal College or Siddhamulla kanishta Vidyalaya. Before long we may even have tuition classes preparing students for these IQ tests. 

 

Albert Einstein was lucky because he did not have to face these tests those days to find a school. Otherwise he would not have been able to get into a good school because he has never been bright kid when he was young. 

 

This is what Sunday Times said yesterday. 

Gr. 1 admissions:Draft proposals go to Chief Justice 

By Isuri Kaviratne 

The final draft of the proposals on Grade 1 admissions will be handed over to the Chief Justice for consideration tomorrow, after making the amendments suggested by the Supreme Court, an official of the Joint Committee of the Past Pupils Association said.
The amendments ordered were some adjustments and clarifications such as a methodology to accommodate a child in a school after his admission had been rejected by another school or if the parents want to send applications to several schools, a way to coordinate them and so on, association media spokesperson Dr. A. Rabel said. 

Lawyer U. Egalahewa who represented parents and teachers, (non-past pupils) told The Sunday Times all the parties involved would take part during the weekend in taking up the suggestions. According to the proposed system, which would be finalised tomorrow, three main categories have been suggested for giving marks with a total of 100. 

Fifty marks would be given for the evaluation of the child which includes intelligence and aptitude, with a maximum of 25 marks for each. The rest of the marks to be given will be as follows: 15 marks for active participation of either parent as a past pupil, 15 marks for the educational qualification of the parents and 10 marks for the profession of the parents (e.g. public servant, armed forces). 

Ten marks are to be given for those in the brother /sister category and if a brother or a sister is studying in a school close by, other siblings would get five marks considering the convenience for parents in sending their children to that school.