CTU goes to HRC over WPC Grade 1 admission criteria
View(s):The Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) last week lodged a complaint with the Colombo Human Rights Commission against the Western Provincial Council (WPC) Education Ministry’s action to change the circular issued by the Ministry of Education (MoE) on Grade 1 admissions in 2019.
In a complaint lodged on Thursday (18), bearing No. HRC 2517/18, the CTU charges that the change to the circular causes injustice to some section of the people, precluding their children from obtaining admission to popular National schools in the country.CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin said the WPC Education Ministry has made changes to section 7.2.1.(2) of the circular for 2019 Grade 1 admissions to government schools, giving higher marks for those who hold deeds to their addresses.
Accordingly, 23 marks allocated for parents or grandparents with deeds for their residence in their names, has been increased to 26 marks.
A letter dated October 1, 2018, conveying the change, signed by the WP Education Director, with the approval of the WP Governor, was sent to the 1,360 schools in the WP.
With only two days more (October 5, 2018 ) for publishing the admission list on school notice boards, Schools administrations which had already prepared the list of selected students to Grade 1, had to re-calculate the marks in keeping with the new directive and publish it on the notice boards on October 5, 2018.
Mr Stalin alleges that, this change has deprived 72 National schools in the WP which administration falls under the line ministry, adding that, the move by the WP Education Ministry is unfair and it causes injustice to schools in the other 8 Provinces. - CC