Sri Lanka Blacklists 461 Officials for Exam Irregularities

Sri Lanka's National Audit Office has blacklisted 461 officials for their alleged involvement in various irregularities and malpractices during examinations. The report highlights a significant lapse in oversight, as information on these blacklisted individuals was not adequately considered when they were appointed to examination duties.

Further scrutiny of the report revealed deficiencies in the blacklist itself. The national identity card numbers of 133 blacklisted officials were not included, and the start dates for the work suspensions of 182 officials were also missing from the records. This lack of detailed information raises questions about the effectiveness of the blacklisting process.

The report also pointed to issues with the management of the blacklist. While an answer provided to the Auditor General on June 5 stated that names of officials blacklisted for over seven years were removed on November 21 of the previous year, auditors observed that this action was due to deficiencies in maintaining the list. Consequently, the National Audit Office could not confirm whether blacklisted officials continued to engage in examination duties without interruption.