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Govt. on overdrive to resolve Education sector anomalies by year end
View(s):Principals, teachers and aspirant teachers are set to benefit from a series of Government decisions to grant promotions, salary increments and launch a recruitment programme, ahead of possible elections.
Accordingly, some 12,000 Principals will be granted promotions and salary increments before year end, ending a seven-year long wait, Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena said
He said that the decision to grant these promotions came after 10 months of discussions with over 100 unions and 26 meetings by the Mahinda Madihahewa Commission.
He said that the Public Services Commission and the Cabinet has approved the scheme.
“We have been able to do whatever possible as a government,” he added.
“Though some of the unions will oppose this, the majority of the unions are agreeable,” he added.
He said in addition 22,000 teachers will be granted promotions and increments which have been pending for four years.
The Education ministry will conduct a mobile service in order to expedite these promotions by visiting remote schools where administrative activities are slow. However, Ceylon Teachers Union President, Joseph Stalin said they were not sure what has been approved, and will await the gazette notification.
However, the teachers’ unions held a series of protests because the Education Ministry has not been transparent about these proposals
Meanwhile, some 50,000 persons who have passed their GCE Ordinary Level and Advance Level exams are to be recruited as Teaching Assistants, Education Ministry officials said.
The recruitment is aimed at students who passed the local examinations but failed to gain admission to State-run universities. These Teaching Assistants will have the opportunity to follow the four-year Bachelor of Education Degree at the National Institute of Education. They will later be assigned to teach Maths, English, Science and Information Technology.
An official of the ministry said that the project was introduced to fill vacancies in schools, especially in rural areas. The gazette calling for applications will be issued soon. In a related development, Minister Gunawardena has promised to solve all issues such as salary anomalies, delay of teacher and principal promotions in the Education sector, before year end.
(AW/DW)