The Ceylon Principals’ Union (CPU) last week claimed that many instances of malpractices have been reported in appointing principals to schools which are under the purview of provincial councils (PC).
Speaking to The Daily Morning last week, CPU General Secretary Piyasiri Fernando said that many appointments have been done without a proper assessment, and many principals have been appointed to schools which are so far away that many were not even able to reach them regularly.
He also charged that some principals with higher grades in the Sri Lanka Principals’ Service (SLPS) have been given schools with fewer numbers of students, when in fact such principals are supposed to be given suitable schools with a larger volume of students.
Fernando claimed that many of the appointments done by the Ministry of Education have allegedly been reversed according to the political whims of the Governors of certain provinces. He charged that such malpractices have hampered the functions of some schools.
Last month, the Education Ministry appointed more than 4,000 principals who were admitted to Grade III of the SLPS, and most of those principals were appointed to the schools which were governed under the PCs. Since all the PCs are dissolved at the moment, administrative power is vested upon the Governor of the province, who is appointed by the President.
Meanwhile, it is reported that the appointment of permanent principals to most of the national schools across the island has been delayed even though about three months have passed since the interviews were conducted.
It is reported that the appointment of new principals to 54 leading national schools in the island – including several leading schools in Colombo – is still being delayed, and that the list of selected candidates was sent from the Ministry of Education to the Education Service Committee of the Public Service Commission.
Several attempts made by The Daily Morning to contact the Secretary to the Education Ministry and Secretaries to the Ministries of Education in the North Western and Sabaragamuwa Provinces proved futile.