Education Unions demand removal of SP Governor
View(s):Education Unions last week held a major protest opposite President’s House in Colombo, demanding the removal of the Southern Province Governor Keerthi Tennakoon, for creating a precedent where Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS) officers were allowed to cross over to the SLEAS cadre.
The Unions were from the principals, teachers and Sri Lanka Education Administrative Service (SLEAS) officers.
Ceylon Teachers Union General Secretary Joseph Stalin said that a recent move to appoint a SLAS Class III officer to SLEAS Class 1, is causing much disruption within the Education sector.
The move comes in the wake of the Ministry of Education (MoE) appointing Assistant Directors to Zonal offices in the Provinces, to oversee work done in the provinces. Accordingly, every Zonal office will have an Additional Director appointed in the 98 zones. In addition, another 9 Additional Directors will be appointed at Provincial level, to over look the Zonal Education offices.
The appointment of SLAS officers to the SLEAS will only cause a disparity in the grades and create a mix where the SLAS officers will be allowed to get into the Education sector, the Unions claim.
Mr Stalin said the teachers and principals are not allowed to sit the SLAS exams, and questions the validity of the move to appoint a SLAS person to the SLEAS cadre.
“This will also create a vacuum in the number of Class 1 officers in the SLEAS cadre,” he said.
Governor Tennakoon, however, denied the charge and said it was ‘absolutely wrong’,
Governor Tennakone said that the posting was in keeping with the constitution and that, the Assistant Director post to the Province was not new, but existed and was vacant for the last 8 years in the SLAS.
He added that Education should be for the students and not for officials, and every single post should be filled for the efficient execution of the job.
- CC