The National People’s Front (NPF) has submitted a written request today to the Information Officer of the Department of Examinations, seeking clarification regarding the accuracy of the educational qualifications of Minister of Trade, Wasantha Samarasinghe.
The request was made under the provisions of the Right to Information Act, No. 12 of 2016.
Present at the occasion were NPF Chief Advisor Ven. Wellampitiya Sumanadhamma Thero, Deputy Leader Upatissa Kumarathunga, Financial Secretary Dinushka Gunasekara, Kolonnawa Chief Organizer Ajith Kumara, and Kolonnawa Organizer Jayasinghe.
Deputy Leader Upatissa Kumarathunga, addressing the media after handing over the letter, stated that Minister Samarasinghe has repeatedly claimed in Parliament, on television programs, and on political platforms that he passed the G.C.E. Advanced Level examination in 1995 from the Anuradhapura District in the Commerce stream, securing District Rank 03, and was subsequently selected to the University of Kelaniya to study for a Management degree.
However, according to the NPF, during the years 1995–1998, students who achieved District Ranks 01 to 05 in Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa districts in the Commerce stream were admitted to the Management Faculty of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Therefore, the NPF has formally requested the Examinations Commissioner to confirm whether Minister Samarasinghe sat for the A/L examination in the Commerce stream from the Anuradhapura District, and if so, whether he in fact secured District Rank 03.
Allegation of Political Placement
The NPF further questioned whether the Minister was directed to the University of Kelaniya not based on merit but for political purposes, specifically to engage in student politics on behalf of the JVP. They alleged that his placement was strategically arranged by the JVP to enable him to play a leading role in the Inter-University Students’ Federation.
According to the NPF, this raises doubts as to whether his entry into Kelaniya University was primarily for political activism rather than academic pursuit.
Call for Transparency
The NPF challenged Minister Samarasinghe to publicly produce his Advanced Level results sheet as proof of his claims. They stated that if his District Rank was indeed 03, he should have been admitted to the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, not Kelaniya.
The NPF further alleged that Minister Samarasinghe’s political involvement at Kelaniya University contributed to student unrest, loss of educational rights, classroom bans, and in some cases, students being deprived of their degrees.
Concluding their remarks, the NPF urged the Examinations Commissioner to verify and communicate the truth regarding the Minister’s A/L results without delay. Until then, they said, they would closely monitor the matter.
They also appealed to university students, parents, and the general public to be cautious of the “double standards” of the JVP and its allies, stressing that the NPF would not allow such “falsehoods” to continue misleading the country.
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