> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.jaffnamonitor.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# A Small School in Mallakam Produces Sri Lanka’s Tamil-Medium Topper
- URL: https://www.jaffnamonitor.com/featured/a-small-school-in-mallakam-produces-sri-lankas-tamil-medium-topper/
- Published: 2026-09-03T01:44:35.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-03T01:45:52.000Z
- Author: Our Reporter
- Tags: September 2026

**JAFFNA, Sri Lanka —** A 10-year-old student from a small primary school in Mallakam has secured the highest Tamil-medium score in Sri Lanka’s 2026 Grade 5 Scholarship Examination.

Surendar Sabin, a student at Dr. Thangamma Appakutty Junior School, scored 188 marks, the highest result among students who sat the examination in the Tamil medium.

The result has brought national attention to a modest school in Mallakam, a town about 10 miles north of Jaffna. Dr. Thangamma Appakutty Junior School, which falls under the Valikamam Education Zone, is far removed in size and profile from the prominent schools that often dominate Sri Lanka’s national examination results.

Nearly 290,000 children sat the scholarship examination across Sri Lanka this year. The examination was held on Aug. 9 at 2,723 centers, with 294,132 students registered and 289,867 sitting the test.

Sabin’s 188 was the highest Tamil-medium score nationally. The highest Sinhala-medium score was 193, obtained by a student from Kurunegala District.

Sabin is from Mallakam. His father works as a Sports Officer in the Kilinochchi District.

The Grade 5 Scholarship Examination, taken by children at about the age of 10, is one of Sri Lanka’s most closely watched school examinations. Its results are used to award scholarships to students from lower-income families and can also open a path to admission to some of the country’s better-resourced schools.

The examination has also been the subject of years of debate, with educators and parents questioning the pressure placed on children at such a young age and successive governments considering changes to the system.

It will not disappear immediately. The government has said the examination will continue through 2029, while its future beyond that is expected to be reviewed.

The result may also renew interest in Jaffna’s smaller village schools. Many parents have long preferred to send their children to the region’s better-known schools, while smaller neighborhood schools have struggled to attract pupils. Sabin’s success may challenge that perception, showing that one of the country’s best results can come from a small school in Mallakam.