The Ministry of Education is planning to hold a meeting with the Teacher Transfer Board today (20), it is learnt.
Last week, President Ranil Wickremesinghe ordered the immediate dissolution of the Education Ministry’s Teacher Transfer Board, resulting in the cancellation of approximately 12,500 teacher transfers. It is understood that the decision was taken to prevent transfers from disrupting the education of GCE O/L and A/L students and also obstacles faced by the school education process due to various reasons.
The General Secretary of Ceylon Teachers' Union (CTU) Joseph Stalin yesterday (19) charged that the President's decision to dissolve the Teacher Transfer Board which was being operated under the Ministry of Education since 2017 has come about due to the actions of several Principles of leading National Schools, who have acted in concert with some Old Pupils Associations to effect the change.
Speaking to The Daily Morning Stalin said that the President has neither power nor moral right to make such a decision without consulting the teachers.
“This Teacher Transfer Board was established in 2017 under the Ministry of Education. It was being operated independently and every action was taken in a very transparent manner. It did not function in 2020, 2021 and 2022 because of the pandemic and the political crisis. However, we are not consulted so far by anyone regarding this matter and we even got to know about this decision when media reported it,” he noted.
Stalin also said that this decision is backed by a few of the Principles of leading National Schools who are desirous of the privileges they enjoy and are backed by some of Old Pupils Associations of those schools.
It was reported that the Government announced on Friday (17) that it will dissolve the Teacher Transfer Board with immediate effect and all the transfers of 12,500 teachers that were to be implemented based on the recommendations of the Teacher Transfer Board would be cancelled.
However, Ven. Yalwala Pannasekara Thera, who is a member of the Teacher Transfer Board, said in a press conference that all teacher transfers will be carried out by 28 April as it was decided.
“All transfers will be implemented from 28 April. If there is any principal who does not release their teachers, we will take strict action against him and we ask every teacher to assume duties in the new school that they have been assigned to,” he said