Exams Dept starts e-certificate service
 

BY MANJULA Fernando

THE Examinations Department launched its first e-certificate service to help candidates pay and receive their exam certificates through the Internet yesterday.

Through the programme, a joint collaboration between the Postal Department and the Examinations Department, candidates are relieved of the burden of personal visits to the Department to apply for the original exam certificate.

Examinations Commissioner General Mahinda Wijayasiri, launching the service at the Department auditorium yesterday, said he was happy to note that they were bridging the technological gaps to serve their customers.

"We receive over 150 applications to obtain originals of national exam certificates a day and this new programme would be a great relief for these applicants, especially the distant candidates and those living abroad," he said.

Candidates can pay through the e-money order service to the nearest post office, obtain a pin number and log in to the Department website www.doenets.lk to apply for the certificate on line.

The certificate will be posted to any local or foreign address submitted by the candidate, shortly.

The service is active in 50 main post offices countrywide excluding North and East and is expected to be extended to 125 within several weeks and to all 630 main post offices before December next year, Postmaster General K. Senadhira said.

He said the e-money order service developed by the Information and Communication Technology Institute of the Colombo University, was first initiated to transfer money from a person to an institute. This was the first time the service was used to transfer money from one institution to another.

The Department website was launched by former Commissioner General A.M.R.B. Amarakoon in 1998 enabling national exam results to be viewed on this the Internet.

The first certificate through this service was issued to a G.C.E. A/L candidate from Hanwella by the Commissioner yesterday. The event was presided over by Postal and Telecommunications Minister D.M. Jayaratne.

Education Ministry Additional Secretary S.L. Gunawardena and Exams Commissioner Anura Edirisinghe were also present.