• Principals’ Union seeks intervention of Edu. Minister, threatens legal action  

The Ceylon Principals' Union (CPU) has requested Minister of Education, attorney Dr. Susil Premajayantha to look into the incident of the Northern Provincial Education Ministry working to suspend the appointment of a Principal to the Velanai Central College in Jaffna, considering the demands made by a few parties to remove him from that School based on his religious beliefs.

In a letter addressed to the Education Minister, the CPU stated that V.E. Gaston Roy, who was serving as the Principal of the Kondavil Ramakrishna Maha Vidyalaya had applied for the Principal vacancy of the said College, which had been duly advertised by the said Ministry. 

“He was interviewed for this vacancy in April 2023, and he was the only candidate to be selected through the interview. However, he was not given the appointment by the Secretary to the said Ministry, and the latter has instead advertised in a national newspaper that there is a vacancy for the post of Principal at the said College. We consider this as a violation of Roy's fundamental rights,” the CPU stated in the letter. 

When contacted by The Daily Morning, the CPU General Secretary Piyasiri Fernando claimed that the relevant Principal has been denied work at the said School due to his religious belief. “Most of the students of this School are Hindus, but this Principal is a Christian. A group of people, whose children are not even students of this school, have demanded that he be transferred to another school because of this matter. It is very unfair for the Ministry Secretary to even consider such a request,” he said.

Accordingly, he said that the CPU has requested Dr. Premajayantha to look into the matter, and resolve the issue. He also said that the CPU would initiate necessary legal action on behalf of Roy, if the issue is not resolved as soon as possible.

Dr. Premajayantha was not available for comment.