The Ceylon Principals’ Union (CPU) urged all principals and teachers not to pressurise parents unnecessarily in the midst of the economic crisis by collecting money for various events organised by schools.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (9), the CPU General Secretary Piyasiri Fernando said that no one has the right to collect money unnecessarily from parents for certain events without consulting the parents regarding the expenses. Noting that events such as annual sports meets, concerts, and the Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations are supposed to be held within the first term according to the Education Ministry’s circulars, Fernando stated that those events should be organised in a manner that is favourable for parents. He also said that they have been notified continuously about certain principals who collect money from parents, causing inconvenience to them, adding that the CPU does not endorse such incidents at all. He further noted that certain principals and teachers have repeatedly misused the money collected from parents, which has now become a common scenario in the education sector. He stated that even the Ministry has taken several measures and issued certain regulations restricting such things. Fernando, highlighting that parents have to afford a lot of money to send children to school with the soaring prices of school items such as shoes and bags, stated that such decisions could adversely affect the education of children since children whose parents cannot afford such expenses could give up schooling. Therefore, Fernando urged principals and teachers to be sensitive to such issues when organising these events.

The Secretary to the Education Ministry Thilaka Jayasundara was not available for comment.