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Right to education: Students continue to be deprived

25 Sep 2021

  • Schools to be reopened in stages under health guidelines
  • Grades 1-5 in schools with less than 200 students to open first
  • Education Ministry gets tough with striking teachers’ allowance
By Sarah Hannan The Ministry of Education is looking to reopen schools in stages, following the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) handing over the health guidelines for the reopening of schools to the Ministry of Education Secretary. Accordingly, the Ministry of Education is looking at reopening grades one to five in schools that have less than 200 students from 15 October in the first stage. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Ministry of Education Secretary Prof. Kapila Perera stated: “We have received the necessary health guidelines that should be followed when reopening schools, and we will share these instructions with the provincial and zonal education offices to disseminate the information to the relevant school principals. The schools will have to carry out cleaning activities before reopening as well.” The Ministry of Education urged that lesson delivery for all grades through online methods should resume until schools physically reopen. Teachers’ allowance Meanwhile, a circular was issued last week regarding the issuance of the Rs. 5,000 allowance for the months of September and October for teachers who continue to deliver online lessons. “We have informed the zonal education offices to release these payments based on the relevant school principals’ recommendations. The school principals have to ensure that the teachers meet the criteria listed in the circular, including by delivering lessons through online or distant learning methods to the students in the months of September and October. The Rs. 5,000 allowance will only be issued to teachers who are fulfilling the necessary activities that we have listed in the circular,” Prof. Perera noted. According to the circular, the criteria the teachers are supposed to fulfil to qualify for the allowance include:
  • Conducting lessons to students through online platforms or other distance learning methods
  • Assisting with submitting students’ applications for the GCE Advanced Level (A/L) exam or the Grade Five Scholarship exam
  • Actively participating in special projects that are carried out in the school
  • Attending official meetings when required
  • Contributing towards the project planning activities for the new “National Schools” project
  • Assisting in carrying out activities of the “Kid-Friendly Schools” project
  • Co-operating with the Covid-19 vaccination programme
  • Assisting with the distribution of textbooks and workbooks
  • Assisting with the “Health Promotion” programme
  • Assisting with the activities to carry out the “School Nutrition” programme
  • Assisting with the administrative activities relating to teacher salaries
  • Assisting with the “Shishyadara” programme administrative activities
  • Taking part in education reform programmes
  • Assisting with documentation-related matters such as the issuance of student character certificates and school leaving certificates
  • Completing any other tasks assigned by the school principal
While the above criteria were set by the Ministry of Education, teachers’ trade unions refused to take the said Rs. 5,000 allowance, noting that they did not ask for an allowance from the Government, and that all they needed from the Government was to adjust the salary scale and pay them the salary that they deserve. Commenting on the matter, Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin stated: “Even with the circular being issued and Co-Cabinet Spokesperson Dr. Ramesh Pathirana announcing the cabinet decision at the press briefing several weeks ago, it is clear that no action was taken to pay the Rs. 5,000 allowance to the teachers this month. Now, the Education Ministry Secretary issued a circular with a list of criteria which the teachers have to fulfil. These are all measures that they are taking to stall our efforts to get our salary scales regularised.” With the Government failing to reach a consensus with the teacher-principal trade unions, the trade unions have vowed to continue their trade union action even after schools reopen. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Ceylon Teachers’ Service Union (CTSU) General Secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe stated: “Although there have been several announcements that the Minister of Finance is ready to discuss the salary anomaly matter with the Teacher-Principal Trade Union Alliance, we are yet to be informed about an actual date for such a meeting. “In the meantime, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health are now working on reopening grades one to five in schools that have less than 200 students. While preparations are underway to reopen schools in the coming weeks, we hope that the meeting with the Finance Minister will take place and we could arrive at an agreement about resolving our salary anomaly issues before schools reopen.” Jayasinghe further noted that failure to resolve the matter before schools reopen will result in trade unions having to continue with their trade union action of refraining from delivering lessons even after schools reopen.


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