Facts: Sri Lanka and education

Country: Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The country used to be a British colony (Ceylon) between 1796 and 1948. There was a civil war in Sri Lanka from 1983 up until 2009.
Responsible for education: the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Ministry of Higher Education, Technology and Innovation (MOHE) and the Ministry of Skills Development and Vocational Training.
Compulsory education: ages 5-14.
Language of instruction: Sinhala, Tamil and English.
School exams: the General Certificate of Education (Ordinary Level) in December and the General Certificate of Education (Advanced Level) in August.
Academic year: it varies per university and can also differ per faculty within a university. The academic year can run from December to November or from January to December, but can also start in October. The academic year is usually divided into 2 semesters (and occasionally into 3 trimesters). A semester is often 15 weeks.