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Mawanella teachers on strike against politico 

08 Nov 2021

BY Buddhika Samaraweera  All teachers and principals in the Mawanella Education Zone have decided not to report to work today (9), in protest over the non-arrest of Mawanella Pradeshiya Sabha (PS) Deputy Chairman K.G. Piyatissa, who had allegedly forcibly entered a school in the Mawanella area on 3 November and disrupted the discharge of duties by its Principal and teachers, according to the Teachers’ and Principals’ Trade Union Alliance (TPTUA). The Mawanella Police had on 7 November informed the teachers’ and principals’ trade unions that they would report the matter to court yesterday (8) and take necessary action against the PS Deputy Chairman in question. However, speaking at a media briefing held yesterday, Ceylon Teachers’ Service Union (CTSU) General Secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe stated that the Mawanella Police Officer-In-Charge (OIC) had informed him yesterday that there were not enough facts to report the said incident to court. "The Mawanella Police OIC now says that there are not enough facts to report to the court regarding this incident. However, a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) who was present at the Mawanella Police Station informed us on 7 November that they would report to court yesterday regarding the incident. Therefore, we don’t accept what the OIC is saying now,” he said. Accordingly, Jayasinghe said that the teachers and principals of all schools in the Mawanella Education Zone will hold a protest in Mawanella today without reporting for duty. He further warned that a decision would have to be taken regarding the re-closure of schools if legal actions are not taken against the said PS Deputy Chairman.  “If the Government, Public Security Minister Dr. Sarath Weerasekera, and the Police think that we didn’t close schools because of our inability, that is where they all have got it wrong. Our struggle will continue until these politicians are brought before the law,” he added. More than 500 teachers and principals surrounded the Mawanella Police Station on Sunday (7) in protest over the non-arrest of the said PS Deputy Chairman, who, along with two other individuals had allegedly forcibly entered the Mederigama Maha Vidyalaya in Mawanella on 3 November and scolded the parents and teachers who were staging a protest demanding that the Government resolve the teacher-principal salary anomaly issue.


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