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Teachers to protest online

11 Aug 2021

 
  • Plans to use social media as street protests impossible
  • Govt. appoints 3rd committee for salary issue
  BY Buddhika Samaraweera Following the calling off of their street protest campaign, teachers’ and principals’ trade unions, which have withdrawn from teaching and examination duties owing to the teacher-principal salary anomaly issue, are to shift their protests on to the digital space. Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) President Priyantha Fernando told The Morning that the trade unions have also decided to organise digital protests as the recent protests conducted across the country to force the Government to address their issues had been suspended due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic situation. Accordingly, there are plans to use social media to protest regarding the issue, he mentioned. This is part of a larger plan to to step up their efforts to obtain a solution, which will also include discussions with political parties represented in the Parliament and a campaign to obtain signatures for a public petition. Accordingly, the teachers’ and principals’ trade unions have decided to hold discussions with all government and opposition political parties from 13 August onwards to discuss their issues while it has also been decided to hold discussions with trade unions representing other sectors to seek support for the ongoing trade union actions of teachers and principals. Commenting on this to The Morning, Fernando said that discussions on their issues with the Government as well as all political parties representing the parliamentary Opposition would commence on 13 August. “In addition, it is planned to hold talks with trade unions encompassing the sectors pertaining to power, postal, railways, ports, and health, in order to seek their support for the teachers’ and principals’ trade union struggle. The first discussion was held yesterday (10),” he said. According to Fernando, signatures for the aforesaid petition would be obtained from people all over the country from 16 August. However, other protest and strike actions that were initiated by the trade unions such as withdrawing from online and regional learning centres-based teaching activities, withdrawing from the duties related to the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary Level (O/L) practical examination, withdrawing from the process of submitting applications for the GCE Advanced Level (A/L) examination online, and refraining from applying for the GCE A/L and Grade 5 Scholarship examination duties, according to Fernando, would continue. Meanwhile, a Cabinet Sub-Committee has been appointed to look into issues in the education sector including the teacher-principal salary anomaly issue, the third such committee appointed in the last few weeks. The members of the latest Cabinet Sub-Committee appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Cabinet of Ministers’ meeting on 9 August are Power Minister Dullas Alahapperuma, Industries Minister Wimal Weerawansa, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, and Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga. Previously, a Cabinet Sub-Committee chaired by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was appointed and another Committee was appointed by President’s Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera. Commenting on the latest Cabinet Sub-Committee’s appointment at the weekly cabinet media briefing in Colombo yesterday, Cabinet Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said that the report of the relevant Cabinet Sub-Committee would be submitted at the upcoming Cabinet meeting. Afterwards, it would be handed over to Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa as the work of resolving the salary anomaly issue “should be done through the Finance Ministry”. However, the teachers’ trade unions have claimed that the Government is appointing such committees from time to time instead of providing a definite solution to their issues. Speaking to The Morning, Ceylon Teachers’ Service Union (CTSU) General Secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe claimed that the Government is attempting to suppress the issues of teachers by appointing committees from time to time. However, Jayasinghe reiterated that all trade union actions, including the withdrawal from teaching activities and examination duties, which continued for the 30th day yesterday, would be continued until a definite solution is given to their issues. “The Government has the ability to appoint any kind of committee, and we, as the trade unions, have the right to struggle to win our demands,” he added. Claiming that a few ministers during the cabinet meeting on 9 August have pointed out the need to resolve teachers’ issues, Jayasinghe commended their efforts. “We are pleased that some of the ministers have spoken out about teachers’ issues at the cabinet meeting in a context where certain ministers were recently seen insulting teachers,” he observed. Commenting on the appointment of this latest Cabinet Sub-Committee, CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin said that they do not expect a fair solution to their issues through this latest Cabinet Sub-Committee. He too pointed out that several such committees have been appointed in the past, and that the Government has so far failed to implement the recommendations made by those committees. It was recently reported that a committee comprising officials from the Finance Ministry and the National Salaries/Pay Commission (NSC), has been appointed by Dr. Jayasundera, to look into the issues of the education sector including the teacher-principal salary anomaly issue. During a protest staged by the teachers’ and principals’ trade unions in front of the Presidential Secretariat on 4 August, the trade union representatives had been informed by Presidential Secretariat officials of the appointment of the said committee. Speaking to the media during the protest, Stalin mentioned that they had been informed by the Presidential Secretariat officials that the said committee is tasked with the preparation of a report regarding the relevant issues within the course of two weeks. Another Cabinet Sub-Committee headed by Premier Rajapaksa had been appointed to look into these matters and the teachers’ and principals trade union representatives had met with its members at Temple Trees recently. However, union representatives, following the discussion, said that the talks were inconclusive.  Teachers; and principals’ trade unions had decided to withdraw from all online teaching activities from 12 July until further notice, in protest over the arrest of a group of trade unionists and student activists, including Stalin, and the lack of a solution to the teacher-principal salary anomaly issue. In addition to online teaching activities, the teachers and principals had withdrawn from the duties related to sending applications for examinations, including the GCE A/L examination online. They had also withdrawn from teaching activities at regional learning centres recently established by the Education Ministry. Also, nearly 5,800 teachers and principals had decided to withdraw from practical examination duties of the GCE O/L examination that commenced on 26 July. Furthermore, they have also decided to withdraw from duties related to the GCE A/L and Grade Five Scholarship examinations that are to be held in November 2021. Attempts to contact Education Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, Education Ministry Secretary Prof. Kapila Perera, Ranatunga, Weerawansa, Alahapperuma, and Amaraweera, to inquire about the plans of the newly appointed Cabinet Sub-Committee, proved futile.          


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