I draw attention to the news item under above title published in your esteemed newspaper on 29/11/2000.
First of all I must thank 'The Island' newspaper and journalist Ms. Himangi Jayasundere for highlighting the plight of students who offered 'French' for their A/Level this year and just got their results.
According to the school sources, it is reported that around 85% who offered this subject this year have failed. The most unfortunate and concerned matter is that most of these students have secured A's and B's for their other two subjects and failed in French.
This situation justified that there is some bad element in the French paper which has to be rectified early for the sake of students who offer this subject at their A/Level. (...)
Any educationist will agree with me that the marks for a subject at any public examination could not be so negative unless there is something wrong in the way the paper is setting. The authorities could review the results of other subjects including other foreign languages and understand the validity of this position.
Hence, on behalf of the students who wish to learn this lovely language, I appeal to the authorities to take some action to rectify this situation so as to pave the way for thousands of students who wish to learn this subject to do so with confidence.

'A concerned French teacher'
Dehiwela

The Ministry of Education has appointed a special committee of representatives of the French Teachers Association, Examination Department and University Academics, to study the issues that have been raised concerning the GCE A/L French Examination August 2000, Education Secretary Tara de Mel said yesterday.
Parents of children who sat this paper, members of the French Teachers Association, School principals and several members of public have made complaints to the Ministry of Education regarding the content and the structure of the said paper and the failure rate observed at this examination.
The committee chaired by Dr. Wijaya Jayathileke Director SLFI (who is currently chairing the Ministerial Committee on Analysis of the GCE A/L Examination 2000 and the Common General Paper) has been mandated to study in-depth the content, structure and format of the GCE A/L French August 2000 paper, study the performance and analyse the results of this paper held last year, and make recommendations to the Ministry of Education by 15 February 2001 on all aspects connected to the syllabus, teaching and examination of the GCE A/L French examination.
The Ministry expects to study the recommendations of the Committee and make appropriate corrections to the syllabus, teaching and examination of A/L French in the future.

They were invited to the third Asian Film Festival in Deauville from March 1 to 4 and four of their films, 'The change in the village' (Gam Peraliya), 'The Treasure' (Nidhanaya), 'The village in the jungle' (Beddegama) and 'Letter written in the sand' (Sagara Jalaya) were screened during the festival.The festival was featured by dozens of Asian films from almost all the countries from Asia. Honouring Dr. Peries and Sumithra was the highlight of the event.

"At 82, Lester James Peries is still in good form, has a sharp mind and mischievous humour, Asian courteousness and the simplicity of the greatest," said Le Figaro, a French newspaper referring to Dr. Peries. "Very much influenced by my documentary past, I was thus the first to produce films, adapted from novels based on Sri Lankan reality. Ninety percent of Sri Lanka is rural. My favourite themes? Family, daily life in the village, superstitions, human and philosophical relationships between beings. I film expressions, gestures and faces which say much more than words," Lester was quoted by the paper as saying.