• Party leaders request ‘essentiality’ for paper marking, criticise FUTA ‘holding students hostage’
• Academics urge resolution of sectoral issues first
• Teachers claim suppression and demand facilities for students  

University academics and teachers have opposed education being made an essential service as is being considered by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the face of the 2022 General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE A/L) Examination paper marking activities not commencing, and has been requested by political party leaders with regard to examination paper marking. 

The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) stated that it does not approve of President Wickremesinghe’s planned decision to make education an essential service, adding that it should not be done in order to avoid professional issues in the field. FUTA Chairman Prof. Shyama Banneheka said that it is important for the authorities to work effectively to resolve the problems in the education sector.

Speaking at the Education Ministry’s progress review meeting held at the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday (19), the President said that he is thinking of making education, especially examinations, a compulsory service under the emergency law, if the teachers further refuse to take part in the paper marking of the GCE A/L Examination of last year (2022) which was held this year (2023). President Wickremesinghe said that he would not allow the education of children to be taken hostage by teachers, and that education would be made an essential service under the emergency law if teachers refuse to return to paper marking by next week.

Prof. Banneheka said however that a specific service should be made an essential service in consideration of the importance of the relevant sector and the services that can be provided to the people of the country. 

“A service should not be declared ‘essential’ in a bid to avoid the issues prevalent in the relevant sector when a group of professionals voice their concerns. From time to time in the recent past, it was common to declare certain sectors as essential services in an attempt to intimidate the employees or to force them to come to work. Making a service an essential service based on such purposes cannot be approved.” Prof. Banneheka also emphasised that there are many other major problems in the education sector, adding that university lecturers are of the opinion that it would therefore be better to resolve these issues before declaring the education sector an essential service.

Meanwhile, the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin said yesterday (20) that the President should understand that the reason for the delay in the evaluation of the GCE A/L Exam answer sheets was the trade union actions launched by the FUTA and that the teachers were only deviating from their voluntary service. Speaking to The Daily Morning, he stated that the President has no power or moral right to suppress teachers and trade unions in the guise of this matter.

 “Unfortunately, we all know that the process of the evaluation of GCE A/L answer sheets was delayed due to the fault of the Government. The FUTA first announced that they are boycotting the evaluation of answer sheets as a protest against the new tax policy of the Government. It is one of their trade union actions. But, no teacher has boycotted the evaluation of answer sheets. They did not apply for the evaluation of answer sheets due to the low allowance given to them. It was a personal decision taken by them. So far, we were involved in the evaluation of the answer sheets voluntarily. So, it is wrong to say that it was delayed because of us. The Government is continuously trying to absolve itself of responsibility by leaving it to various parties. The reason for this delay in the evaluation of answer sheets is that the Government ignored the demands of these professionals,” he said. 

He also said that it is a joke that the Government, which is not even able to provide textbooks to the children on time, is attempting to make education an essential service. “We saw the arbitrary statement made by the President. He said that he will make education an essential service and that the property of those who do not come to be evaluators of papers will be confiscated. He has no power to do that. If the Government wants to make it an essential service, first, they must take steps to provide children with adequate textbooks and uniforms and the students must be facilitated well by the Government. But, these efforts are only to suppress trade unions,” he said.

Last month (March), the FUTA announced that they were withdrawing from A/L paper marking until the Government provides them with proper solutions to their professional demands. The 2022 GCE A/L Examination was held last January at 2,200 centres across the Island and with 331,709 candidates sitting for the Exam.

Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and Samagi Jana Balawegaya Opposition Parliamentarian, Attorney Rauf Hakeem said that there was a request by the political party leaders with regard to making paper marking activities of examinations an essential service. Speaking to the media following the party leaders’ meeting held yesterday, he mentioned that during the meeting, the decision of university lecturers to boycott the answer sheet evaluation activities of the 2022 GCE A/L Examination was also taken up. 

“A question arose as to whether the President would perhaps make it an essential service. There was also a request among the party leaders to do so,” he said. However, he further expressed that if necessary, the education service should be made an essential service and that the paper marking activities should be completed as soon as possible. “There was also strong criticism during the meeting of the attempts by university lecturers to win over their demands by holding students as hostages,” he added.