Sri Lanka runs out of printing papers, cancels school exams
Sri Lanka's ongoing economic crisis causes a paper shortage and leads to the cancellation of school exams.
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Sri Lanka's shortage of printing paper deprives millions of students of taking their exams
Sri Lanka canceled exams for millions of school students as the country ran out of printing paper with the country's capital, Colombo, short on dollars to finance imports, officials confirmed Saturday.
Education authorities announced the term tests - scheduled a week from Monday - were postponed indefinitely due to an acute paper shortage as Sri Lanka contends with its worst financial crisis since independence in 1948.
"School principals cannot hold the tests as printers are unable to secure foreign exchange to import necessary paper and ink," the department of Education of the Western Province pointed out.
Official sources said the move could effectively hold up tests for around two-thirds of the country's 4.5 million students.
Term tests are part of a continuous assessment process to decide if students are promoted to the next grade at the end of the year.
The people of #SriLanka are suffering amid a crippling economic crisis that has been accumulating for more than a decade.#srilankacrisis pic.twitter.com/oqsMLAm1pZ
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) March 16, 2022
Sri Lanka seeks an IMF bailout
An economic crisis brought on by a shortage of foreign exchange reserves to finance essential imports, has seen the country run low on food, fuel and pharmaceuticals.
The South Asian country announced this week that it will seek an IMF bailout to resolve its foreign debt crisis and shore up external reserves.
The International Monetary Fund on Friday confirmed it was considering President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's Wednesday request to discuss a bailout.
Around $6.9 billion of Colombo's debt needs to be serviced this year but its foreign currency reserves stood at nearly $2.3 billion at the end of February.
Long queues have formed across the country for groceries and oil with the government instituting rolling electricity blackouts and rationing of milk powder, sugar, lentils, and rice.
