This year 43,000 students gained university entrance following the release of the 2021 Advanced Level Examination results. Among them was a talented 15-year-student who has now become the youngest student to gain entrance to a local university in Sri Lanka’s education history.
Although there is no age limit for university admission, students who have completed the A-levels at the appropriate age limit and are 19 years old are eligible to enter a local university. This remarkable feat was achieved by a student from the Nenamal Royal College in Kadawatha.
Fifteen-year-old- Dewm Sanahas Ranasinghe was born on January 24, 2007. He is already a student of the Jayewardenapura University’s Faculty of Sports Science and Management. Dewm is the son of Malika Ranasinghe and Anura Ranasinghe who are not only teachers but also directors of the Nenamal Royal College. The school which opened its doors in 2019, today has 820 students and 56 teachers. While the school is privately owned, Dewm’s siblings also study here.
Receiving his early education at the Kelaniya Gurukula Vidyalaya, Dewm passed the Grade 5 Scholarship Exam with flying colours by obtaining 173 marks coming third in the school.
Parents
Following the examination, Dewm then entered Colombo Thurstan College based on his results and left the school in Grade 6 to enter the Nenamal Royal College in Kadawatha. As Dewm entered Grade 8, the Covid-19 pandemic took hold forcing Dewm and other students to remain home. While a majority of them were educated online, Dewm had used the time at home to reap more academic benefits.
Watching his parents teaching older students online, Dewm dreamed of completing his secondary education to move on to his sporting dreams. Therefore, Dewm, still in Grade 8 sat for the Ordinary Levels Examination to achieve that end.
“Covid-19 was a turning point in my life. Watching my parents teach ordinary level examinations I wanted to sit for it as well. My parents agreed to this and supported me. I managed to finish lessons of Grade 8,9, 10 and 11 in six months. I study with other Ordinary Level students.
Teachers helped by teaching me things that were unclear. I managed to get 6 As, 2 Bs and 1 C after studying for just 6 months. I then wanted to sit for the advanced level examination. For this I chose the commerce stream. At the time mage was 14. I spent the next 6 months studying for the 2021 advanced level examination. I managed to get 3 B’s…” Dewm said.
The young boy obtained a Z score of 1.05 and had hoped to follow a degree in law. However his age became a barrier to this dream.
Obstacles
“There were many obstacles that came our way when Dewm wanted to sit for the O’Level Exam while still in Grade 8. The Commissioner General of Examinations asked us what is the hurry for him to sit for the exams. We asked him if there were any obstacles. We were told he would need a national identity card but his age would be a bar to obtaining it. Then we got him a passport to sit for the exams.
When he passed the Advanced Levels exam we wondered if he could enter a local university as he had to be 18 to enter the Law College for example. But he insisted he wanted to enter a local university.
BSc in sports
So Dewm applied to follow the BSc in Sports Science at the University of Jayewardenapura,” the Principal of Nenamal Royal College, M.G Ranbanda said.
Dewm is a talented sportsman and has a great love for cricket which he plays in school and at a club. His aim now is to join the Under 19 cricket team in 2026 after pursuing a sports related degree.
According to his mother, Malka Ranasinghe Dewm’s aim was to follow his cricket dream without allowing it to disrupt his formal education. “He is now preparing to commence a degree in law while also reading for the BSc,” she said. His parents believe the time spent on a child’s formal education in school must be shortened through reforms allowing them to achieve their dreams at a very young age.