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Anuradhapura to see 10,000-teacher protest

06 Aug 2021

  • Against salary anomaly, protestors’ arrests
BY Buddhika Samaraweera A protest is scheduled to be held in Anuradhapura today (6) with the participation of nearly 10,000 teachers and principals to protest against what the protestors claim is the Government's failure to address the issue of the teacher-principal salary anomaly, and the arrest of more than 40 teachers and principals during a protest on 4 August near the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo. The teachers’ and principals’ trade unions had staged a protest near the Presidential Secretariat on 4 August in protest over the Government’s failure to provide a solution for their issues, including the teacher-principal salary anomaly issue, and more than 40 individuals who participated in said protest were arrested by the Police on the same day. In protest over said arrests, the teachers’ and principals’ trade unions organised protests in Medawachchiya, Ibbagamuwa, and Kuliyapitiya yesterday (5). The Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) has then warned of a massive protest to be held today in Anuradhapura, and CTU President Priyantha Fernando, when contacted by The Morning, said that if action is taken to suppress teachers instead of solving their problems, all the trade union actions that have been implemented would be further intensified. “As a first step, a massive protest is to be held in Anuradhapura today with the participation of nearly 10,000 teachers and principals,” he added. The teachers’ and principals’ trade unions, at present, have embarked on a number of trade union actions demanding a solution to the teacher-principal salary anomaly issue, the provision of facilities for teachers and students to carry out online education activities, and several other issues. So far, there have been several discussions between the teachers’ and principals’ trade union representatives and the Education Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris along with the Education Ministry officials. However, all those discussions, according to the trade unions, ended without reaching an agreement. In addition, Prof. Peiris has so far submitted two proposals to the Cabinet of Ministers with regard to the teacher-principal salary anomaly issue. He had also said during a discussion with the trade unions on 3 August that he would submit yet another proposal to the upcoming Cabinet meeting. Following the latest discussion held on 3 August between teachers’ and principals’ trade unions and Prof. Peiris regarding issues in the education sector – including the teacher-principal salary anomaly issue – ending without resolution, the trade unions decided to continue all trade union actions that have been initiated so far. Speaking to The Morning yesterday, Fernando said that the teachers and principals unions did not have faith in any of the steps that are said to be taken by the Government to resolve the issue, including the President’s Secretary appointing a committee to give a report on the matter in two weeks. He said that if the Government is ready to solve this problem through the forthcoming budget, it should be made clear in what manner they would do so. “By the time the current Government came into power, the National Salaries/Pay Commission (NSC) had submitted a report stating that the salaries of all public servants should be increased by amounts ranging from Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 18,000. However, the Government has not taken any action to implement that recommendation. In such a context, we do not accept the Government representatives’ statements that the salary anomaly issue would be resolved through the next budget,” he explained. Teachers’ and principals’ trade unions had decided to withdraw from all online teaching activities from 12 July until further notice in protest over the arrest of a group of trade unionists and student activists, including CTU General Secretary Stalin, and the lack of a solution to the teacher-principal salary anomaly issue. In addition to online teaching activities, the teachers and principals had withdrawn from duties related to sending applications for examinations, including the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level (A/L) Examination, online. They had also withdrawn from teaching activities at regional learning centres recently established by the Education Ministry. In addition, nearly 5,800 teachers and principals had decided to withdraw from practical examination duties of the GCE Ordinary Level (O/L) Examination that commenced on 26 July. They have also decided to withdraw from duties related to the GCE A/L and Grade Five Scholarship Examinations that are to be held in November 2021.  


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