The Ceylon Principals' Union (CPU) has urged the Government to implement the recommendations made by the Cabinet sub-committee that looked into the issues in the teacher-principal services in August, 2021, instead of appointing committees to look into the matter from time to time.
Minister of Education, Attorney, Dr. Susil Premajayantha had recently appointed a committee consisting of five members, to look into the problems and shortcomings of the Sri Lanka Principals’ Service and recommend solutions for such.
Speaking to The Daily Morning, CPU General Secretary, Piyasiri Fernando said that the Ministry had been appointing various committees from time to time, but that none of them had resolved the issues of teachers and principals. He said that the Government had, throughout the past, misled teachers and principals by appointing such committees that also incur a significant cost to the Government.
“As the recently appointed committee had asked for our suggestions, we have forwarded them to it, but we do not believe that this committee will resolve our issues. There are several recommendations that have already been made by the Cabinet sub-committee that was appointed in 2021. That committee looked into the issues and made several recommendations. The Government promised to implement them within two weeks, but it did not happen. So, if the Government truly needs to provide us with solutions, why can it not implement those recommendations?,” he queried.
A Cabinet sub-committee was appointed to look into the teacher-principal salary anomaly issue in early 2021, when the teachers and principals had launched a months-long strike against the same. Commenting on its content, then Education Minister and incumbent Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that the Government would, through the Budget proposal for the year 2022, make salary revisions to address the issue. He also said that the services of teachers, teaching instructors and principals would be declared a closed service, and that the Ministry would work with the Provincial Councils and the other relevant authorities to implement the other recommendations within a period of six months.