• Complaints concern school-based money collection for functions/projects  

The Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) blamed the Ministry of Education for their lack of interest in investigating the complaints filed by the parents regarding the unnecessary collection of money in schools under the guise of functions and projects.

Stating that it is the responsibility of the Government to maintain the schools and allocate funds to fulfil the necessities, the CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin told the media yesterday (16) that the Government is endorsing the privatisation of the country’s school system by turning a blind eye to the various grievances raised by the parents, in order to cover up its inability to maintain the school system. He also said that certain schools have collected a large amount of money from their students in addition to the school development fee. And he also claimed that students of certain leading schools have had to give around Rs. 50,000 annually for various events and projects organised by the particular schools. 

Stating that the CTU is against all sorts of collection of money in schools, he said that they opposed a circular issued by the Education Ministry in 2015 that gave the authority for school administrations to collect money. He further stated that the Government does not have the capability to maintain the education system currently because of the economic crisis, and that therefore, it is advocating for the school administrations to carry on the education system by any means. He added that many parents have directly lodged complaints with the Secretary to the Education Ministry, yet no action has been taken thus far.

Meanwhile, the Ceylon Principals’ Union recently 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.

The Education Ministry’s Secretary Thilaka Jayasundara was unavailable for comment.