brand logo

SJB slams Government over inciting tensions in teachers’ issue

20 Oct 2021

  • Notes lack of govt. planning to ensure education
BY Pamodi Waravita The Government is deliberately creating tensions between teachers and students and their parents by insulting teachers who were engaged in trade union actions during their continued struggle for a solution to their salary anomaly issue, claimed the main parliamentary Opposition, the Samagi Jana Balawegeya (SJB), yesterday (19). “Although the Government is accusing the teachers of creating an education crisis in this country, the education crisis occurred since the Government did not have a proper plan to provide education to the children once the Covid-19 pandemic hit. It was the teachers who voluntarily stepped forward and spent their own money to provide an education for children, within their own capacities. Their success was shown by the recently released GCE Ordinary Level examination results. A total of 40% of children are currently engaged in distance learning, online. What has this Government done to ensure the continued education of the remaining 60% of the children?” questioned SJB Parliamentarian Rohini Wijeratne Kavirathna. She further charged that while it would only cost the Government Rs. 30 billion to provide the solution being demanded by teachers to the salary anomaly issue, the Government has, in its recent budget proposal, allocated billions of rupees for “insincere development projects only aimed at the upcoming elections and campaigns”. Kavirathna expressed her disappointment at the trend of youngsters deliberately insulting teachers, especially online, which she claims is initiated by government actors. “Government MPs are saying that the public needs to throw rotten eggs at teachers. How are you justifying these moves – these statements?” questioned Kavirathna. Last week, the Federation of University Teachers Associations (FUTA) also stated that the Government is attempting to undermine the teachers’ and principals’ struggle through strong-arm tactics and insincere mediations by disingenuous third parties. “We are appalled at the comments made by Minister of Public Security Dr. Sarath Weerasekera, essentially threatening teachers and principals engaged in a democratic struggle to win their just demands. This particular minister seems to have scant regard for democratic norms and appears to believe that public security equates to the use of sledgehammer tactics to force people to conform,” it was noted. Although the Teachers’ and Principals’ Trade Union Alliance (TPTUA) has decided to relax the trade union actions initiated by teachers and principals, demanding a solution to their salary anomaly issue and to thereby resume teaching activities and examination-related work from 25 October, they have warned that they hope to launch a number of other trade union actions from time to time, such as protests, strikes, and parental awareness programmes, from 25 October. The first in a series of such protests, according to the Ceylon Teachers’ Service Union (CTSU), will be held across the country on 25 October at 2 p.m. Nearly 30 teachers’ and principals’ trade unions have embarked on a number of trade union actions, including withdrawing from all physical and online teaching activities and examination-related duties, demanding a solution to the teacher-principal salary anomaly issue since 12 July 2021.


More News..