PROJECT TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN NATIONAL AND PROVINCIAL SCHOOLS

PROJECT TO IMPROVE EXAM RESULTS AT SCHOOLS 2015
WWW.MCQPAL.COM
WWW.MCQPAL.COM
PROJECT TO
IMPROVE EXAM
RESULTS AT
SCHOOLS
ONLINE EXAM THROUGH WEB BASE SOFTWARE
MCQPAL TEAM
12/18/2015

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CONTENTS –
1- What is MCQPAL
1-1- Benefits for students
1-2- MCQPAL program Mission and its future
2- Introduction to the project
3- Overview of the project
4- Statistics
5- How MCQPAL works
5-1- Facilities currently we could get from the schools and the
implementation of the project
5-2- Targets to achieve in national education system
6- Project implementation steps
7- Benefits to the Sponsors

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1- WHAT IS MCQPAL ?
 MCQPAL is a web based educational tool that enables students attempt multiple choice
questions on line.
 Instant replies will be given to the students at the end of the final question.
 Students rank and other important details will be shown on the results page.
 Student can refer back the questions attempted for progress.
 Parents can use the “Student Monitoring System” to keep a track of the child in doing
exams, analyzing his/her strong areas, weak areas and so many other key important
analyses. And the total history of the student is viewed at a press of a button.
 Papers from grade 3 to grade 5 scholarships to ordinary level and advanced level are
available.
 Further to the above higher studies modules will also be available.
 Free online registration and easy to use platform.
1-1- Benefits for Students
 Acquire a habit of doing exam papers.
 Habit will change the character of the student.
 Get pass the competitive exams easily.
 Free registration.
 Can select target exam papers for any subject.
 No paper work.
 Quick and easy.
 Can access by computer, mobile or any hand held device.
 Can check answers instantly.
 Total marks, grade and level of the student can be checked.
 Can achieve high marks when papers are attempted regularly.
1-2- MCQPAL program Mission and its future
The MCQPAL’s mission is to provide assistance to sri lanka education sector and disseminate
information about progress monitoring practices proven to work in different academic content
areas.
The Student Progress Monitoring integrated program of services will:
 Raise knowledge and awareness by forming partnerships and communicating with
Ministry, districts, associations, technical assistance providers, institutions of higher
education, and other interested groups;
 Provide implementation support for using and sustaining proven progress
monitoring practices to education sector; and

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 Provide for national dissemination by developing resources and supporting on-
going information sharing through advanced web services, regional meetings,
and a national conference.
2- Introduction to the project
In the effort to achieve higher exam results in Sri Lanka, a standardized system where the
implementing body can monitor student’s performance with other students, teacher performance
with other teachers, school performance with other schools, zonal performance with other zones
etc is very much needed. Broad parameters as such would help the monitoring heads of
education system to evaluate how effective their instruction is, either for individual students or
for an educational zone.
It is quite evident that there is a rapid development in the Sri Lankan education system where
schools are equipped with modern facilities such like Computer labs. But to make the outcomes
more precise, a good monitoring mechanism with nationwide access is very much needed.
The locally developed solution “MCQPAL” of Optimized IT (PVT) LTD is the answer.
MCQPAL is a technology based progress monitoring measurement tool and the exam practice
web base platform which is been created to suit local infrastructure (Ex: Low internet usage) and
therefore it is in line with the facilities in local schools. Consequently the derived outcomes
would be considered as a unique state standard as the progress monitoring is much controlled,
transparent and centralized.
3- Overview of the project
It is known that the passing rates of Mathematics subject in Sri Lanka both in the western and
other provinces are at a low level. This may be due to the interest and the negative mind set a
student has towards it. But it is also a known fact that mathematics is a subject that is easy to
study once you know your basics as all questions are based around formulae’s. The main reason
that students are incapable of passing mathematics is due to a scare which may have been passed
on by fellow students and even parents. So how do we get out of this problem?
By creating a positive mind set in students and develops the practice of doing questions as a
habit by using interesting and highly demanding tools such as computers. It is quite evident that
a computer is a must and it’s a dream of every student to posses one and using it.
This project will be targeted to all students in grades 10 and 11 which beyond that will be a
stepping stone for pre-higher studies in A/L’s. We have identified that these

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6 grades has students who uses computers heavily and this habit can be converted to an
educationally beneficial activity in getting them to attempt mathematics questions based on
multiple choice form.
This age group further has the ability to grab more information and as well as prone to decide
what his/her future would be. So what we have suggest is to use these factors to make this
project in to a friendly, effective and student conducive method to increase the pass rates of
mathematics in Sri Lanka.
4- Statistics
Regional disparities in examination pass rates:
Figure 6 presents a comparison of GCE O/L mathematics pass rates in 2009, across all nine
provinces. The highest pass rate of 60 percent is seen in the Western province, while the lowest
pass rate of 42 percent is seen in the Uva and North Central provinces. The Eastern and Central
provinces also performed relatively poorly, with pass rates of 45 percent and 44 percent
respectively. The other four provinces, Northern, Southern, North-Western and Sabaragamuwa
performed approximately equally, with pass rates between 51 percent and 54 percent.

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As such, the provinces fall into three categories, with one group of four provinces at the bottom,
a second group of four provinces clustered in the middle and the Western province an outlier at
the top. The Western province is the most economically advanced and educationally developed
region of the country. The Southern, North-Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces too have
traditionally been educationally developed regions. The provincial performance does not reveal
the disparities within the provinces, especially the performance in disadvantaged areas, relative
to the high performance in urban centers.
Figure 8 shows the performance of students in mathematics at the GCE O/L examination in2009.
For mathematics, pass rates in national and provincial schools are 74 percent and 44 percent
respectively. Compared to the other provinces, the national schools in the Uva and Central
provinces show relatively low performance. The ratio of the number of students sitting for the
O/L mathematics paper from national and provincial schools is approximately 1:4. This means
that 20 percent of the students contribute to a pass rate of 74 percent while 80 percent contribute
to a pass rate of 44 percent. Clearly, mathematics education in provincial schools needs to be
improved greatly. The same disparity is evident in the performance in science at national and
provincial schools (Dissanayake & Sonnadara, 2011).

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Geographical distribution of low performing zones:
In order to analyze the geographical distribution of the low performing zones, the zones were
ranked based on the performance in mathematics at the GCE O/L examination in 2009. Based on
this rank, the lowest 30 zones were selected and overlaid on a map of Sri Lanka in three different
colour codes to represent the performance level (see Figure 9).
For mathematics, most of the low performing zones are in the Northern, Central, Eastern, Uva
and North Central provinces. While all zones in the Western, Southern and North Western
provinces seem to perform well, the data reveal that except for Nivitigala all the other zones in
the Sabaragamuwa province
too perform well. The geographical distribution of the zones clearly indicates that the low
performing zones are mainly from conflict affected regions and plantation areas. The fishing
communities seem to be performing better than expected. In general, the Western half of Sri
Lanka which is economically advanced performs better than the Eastern half.

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5- HOW MCQPAL WORKS ……….
The web portal www.mcqpal.com is aimed to provide the needs and aspirations of school
children for passing their examinations and improving their knowledge and skills. It also helps
school management, Zonal management and the ministry of education to monitor and evaluate
the present education system.
The administrative bodies of education system can insert any multiple choice exam paper of a
school, zone, province or examination department to this web portal and allow the access for
students to conduct their monthly or term test online in a more precise way. Also students can
obtain results instantly and their achievements and weak areas can also be identified.
As of today, the system includes Modal exam papers pertaining to GCE OL & AL examinations,
Grade 5 scholarship exams. The access to all these by any student is provided at a free of charge.
This user-friendly system is based on MCQ’s (Multiple Choice Questions) which carries a major
share in total marks.
5-1- Facilities currently we could get from the schools and the
implementation of the project
Trained teachers
I T centers
The following are the envisaged support initiatives:
 To establish IT school clubs.
 To encourage preparation of Web sites for schools
 To encourage teachers to own personal computers
 To assist the school system in e-learning and information management
 To convene appropriately time-framed IT education research and development
conferences/colloquia
 To facilitate the setting up of a professional body for those who are involved in IT
education in schools
 To establish a fund to support innovative approaches and creative initiatives for school
IT education development
 To initiate an award scheme to encourage educators to promote innovative IT
Education.
 To forge strategic partnerships with other government institutions, Sri Lankan Missions
abroad, foreign missions in Sri Lanka and national and international NGOs and the
private sector to extend the coverage of IT education promote and enhance the quality of
IT education in the school system.

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5-2- Targets to achieve in national education system
The primary objective of this programme is to make quality education available rural children
studying at provincial level schools as well and to broaden educational opportunities at National
level schools. These schools will have the human resources and the infrastructure facilities to
ensure a quality education of a high level by an optional teaching process.
Target is to bridge the gap between National schools and the provincial schools.
 By launching this massive school development programme a school of distinction will
emerge.
 By the introduction of all curricula including science, all students will have access to
equal educational opportunities. Free and compulsory education will be more
meaningfully guaranteed through these schools. In this way the clamor for urban schools
will lessen and the artificial competition for places in some schools can be alleviated.
6- Project implementation steps
1. Select identified few National Level Schools at Colombo District.
(Sponsor to the project could decide the schools)
2. Upload the Exam papers subject wise and grade wise.
(Each of these schools will be able to upload papers for their monthly and
term test papers and carry out exams online through our system.)
3. Visit to the Provincial level schools to introduce the system.
(Sponsor to the project could decide the schools)
4. The system can be accessed by the schools children Free of charge.
5. IT centres at schools will be utilizing its computer labs to its maximum
benefit.
6. System can generate various types of progress reports to identify weak areas
of students individually or as a whole for the school and province.
7. Through the system results are instant and save up on time and
gives accurate results.

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7- Benefits to the Sponsors
 Ability to contact directly to the target market, parents of Grade 5 Scholarship exam, OL
exam and AL exam.
 Display of their banners, signs, placards and other advertising materials of their products
and brands at the school seminars.
 A display at the Computer Lab.
 Award sponsored prizes to the students who scores highest marks in schools/colleges on
an island wide basis.
 A great CSR project for your organization which can be continued for a period.
(throughout the year)
 Could plan marketing and sales campaigns province and district wise strategically.
Expenditure to visit schools and implement the project has attached
separately.

PROJECT TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN NATIONAL AND PROVINCIAL SCHOOLS

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