Sri Lanka’s Grade Five Scholarship Examination: An Evaluation of its Effectiveness and Relevance

Series: Health and Education

Sri Lanka’s grade five scholarship exam has two main aims – admitting talented students to more prestigious schools and providing bursaries to bright but economically disadvantaged students. However, only around 10% of the students who take the exam qualify for bursaries and/or to apply for better schools every year. This study examines the specific reasons as to why the scholarship exam’s main goals are not met and provides a systematic analysis to inform policy decisions.